Off The Streets Huntington Beach focuses on housing the homeless in Orange County & Riverside County California. Since 2014 we have housed over 400 individuals.

Placements

Our Results

Off the Streets – Huntington Beach is a non-profit charity focused on housing the homeless in Orange County and Riverside County California. As shown below, we have housed over 500 homeless individuals since our startup in 2014.

Placements By Category

Success Rate

Today we congratulate Jenelle, Bert and their 6 kids for getting into a home of their own. Jenelle and Bert already have 2 kids and are adopting 4 other children who are relatives of theirs without parents. After they provided proof of adoption and then found a rental that fit the budget we built with them, we were happy to pay their security deposit so they could move in. We will soon be providing this family with much needed furniture and household goods to make their rental a real home. Read their story below:

My story…i am a 26 year old female with my fiance Bert and my 2 step children. My dad has become disabled this past year he is going to a senior living home type since he is now on oxygen and takes his medication and all so we had to find a new home… because i recently took in 4 extended family members to adopt because they were in foster care we need a bigger home for all our children..and this was a perfect opportunity since i have to move out and nobody in our family has room for a couple and six children. we will be forever grateful, Jenelle.

This family brings our placements this year to 21 and our grand total since we started OTS in 2014 up to 531.

Today we congratulate Briana and her 3 kids for ending their homeless situation and getting into a place of their own. After she found a place that fit with the budget we built with her, we were happy to pay the security deposit so she and her kids could move in. We will soon be providing this single mom and her kids much needed furniture and household goods to get a new start. Read her story below.

Dear OTS,
This picture was taken last year around Thanksgiving in. We had so much to be thankful for and things took a turn for the worse. I found out that the home I was renting was going into foreclosure due to the landlord filing bankruptcy. I spent the next eight months fighting to stay in my home. We had no family to turn to there and my kids were accepted into an accelerated school. I stayed in communication with the bank the lawyers and the Housing Authority. Only to come home from work with a 24 hour notice to vacate on my door in August. Due to the cost of living I was unable to transfer my section 8 voucher to San Diego but I was able to transfer it to Riverside County. I figured that would still be close enough to family. I figured it wouldn’t take me long to find a place but that was easier said than done. After sleeping on an air mattress in my grandmother’s living room for about a month, her landlord informed her that we would no longer be able to stay as we are not on her lease. To keep from having to take my children to a shelter or my grandmother being at risk in being put out I get my children ready for school and I leave for the day. We return after the leasing office closes so that we can get rest. I have been searching for a place but it’s pretty hard to when I cannot afford the deposit. The Housing Authority has given me an extension to find a place in that expires in two weeks. So if I don’t find a place by then I lose my voucher forever. My children and I came here with four suitcases in search of stability. I would greatly appreciate any help possible and just be given the opportunity to provide for my them what I once thought was so easy to.
Sincerely, Briana

Brianna and her kids bring our placements this year to 13 and our grand total since we started OTS in 2014 up to 523.

Today we congratulate Melody, Joshua and their 4 kids today for ending their homeless situation. We were able to help them obtain housing by paying their security deposit and we will soon be providing this family with much needed furniture and household goods. Read their story below.

Hello, this is melody and joshua’s story of how we became homeless. This all started when we lived in northern california for about 5 years ,Josh had a steady job which made it possible for me to stay at home and raise our 4 children . Well after 4 years into his work without a pay raise things got tough so Josh decided to look for new work while still at his current job, when they found that out they let him go . That’s when it got really hard for our family. We then decided to move back to our hometown in tustin even though we had nowhere to go . So me and Josh talked about me and the kids going to a transitional living home called the orange county rescue mission. He stayed with his mom so that he could find work and know his family was safe. Me and our 4 kids stayed 18 months there, when we left we found housing in buena park , but the job josh was at for 2 years wasn’t making ends meet ,so I started to work . even though I was slowly loosing blood and not even realizing the fact I was getting sick. Josh decided he needed a better career so he went to truck driving school and received his class A license and is now working for a good company . I was out of work for a while due to multiple blood transfusions ,they finally figured out that it was an ulcer so they did what they had to do to fix it.The doctors have already said I am well to go back to work so that’s exactly what I did. In the meanwhile we had to split our family apart for a while ,I was at my moms (in which she would kick me out at least 3 times a week due to her mental illness) . I then would sleep in Joshua’s car ,until his mom found out and said I could stay so I could finish getting well, but our family needs to be out. This situation has not only put a hardship on our marriage ,but our kids are also old enough to see that things are not right .It hurt my heart this last Christmas when all 4 of them said we don’t want gifts mommy we just want a home. Unfortunately they did not get either. We have had a hard time saving money due to the fact that sometimes we would stay in motels to give the Grand parents a break as well as pay for warm clothes and on occasion medicine ex. Four children are a lot to handle when you have already raised your own. Ms. Renata does a lot for our kids. and we appreciate it , but we cannot overstay our welcome. We are two adults with 4 kids who have made it in the past and yet had our down time but we are ready to start new and get back to raising our children together. Homelessness is not something that can ever happen to us again we are to motivated ,and me and josh have to stay loving and strong for our kids and us.
– sincerely, Melody

This family brings our placements this year to 9 and our grand total since we started in 2014 up to 519.

Today we congratulate Angel and her daughter for getting into their own place. Angel called us in early January needing help we finding a place to stay, so we built a budget with her and she was then able to find a rental that fit this budget. We were happy to pay their security deposit so they could move in. Read her story below:

I was separated from my husband in late May 2017 and was left with all the bills. At that time, rent was due however it was paid late which included a late fee. Every month after that I was borrowing money and that led me into owing more than I could pay back. In the month of October I was notified that my check was being garnished by 25% when in fact after doing the calculations my check was being garnished 35%. This caused a major decrease in my check on top of me owing people back that I borrowed money from. I was not able to pay my November rent due to the garnishment and was served with an eviction notice several weeks thereafter. I didn’t have the money to pay. During this time, our lights were cut off. This hurts me as I have to relive this by typing it but this is what I was experiencing while trying to stay strong for my daughter. We didn’t have anywhere to stay. I was informed of a service that helps with electricity but was turned down. The next day we went back to the apartment to change clothes and all the lights were on; that was a blessing! For food I go to the food banks so we can have something to eat. On January 4, 2017, I was summoned to court. On that day, they allowed me to January 9,2017 (today) to have all personal belongings out of the apartment. And as of today, we are officially homeless with nowhere to go. I have never been in this situation before and would never want to wish this upon anyone. I was given a budget which is very reasonable for me and would be more than grateful for this generous help in my time of need. All I want is a place for me and my daughter. All we have is my car where majority of our clothes are. If you can please help me in this time of need and assist us with a security deposit I would be more than appreciative as this means we would have a roof over our heads!
Thank you, Angel

Today we congratulate Mindy for ending her homeless situation and getting into a rental of her own. She is our first placement in 2018! We built a budget with her and after she found a rental that she could afford we were happy to pay her security deposit so she could move in. We will soon be providing her furniture so she can have a real home! Read her story below:

My name is Mindy, and I became homeless on August 6, 2017. My financial problems did not happen overnight. I broke and dislocated my right ankle in July 2015, which led to emergency surgery. I now have a metal plate and 8 screws in that ankle. After a 3 month recovery period, I returned to the workforce. As my son was grown and out of the home, my goal was to travel the United States working short-term assignments in the medical field. It took some time to sign with an agency, as I needed to get more experience in the medical field first. Thus, I temped locally from October 2015 until February 2017, when I signed with an agency and prepared to go on my first out of area placement in March 2017, which was in the Bay Area and scheduled to last 13 weeks. This assignment was cancelled the day before I was to leave for it, as happens sometimes. I then took a two month position locally covering a maternity leave. When this assignment ended, it was June 2017. I then got offered a six week position in the Bay Area, which I accepted but which fell through just prior to my leaving, similar to the first offer of this type. Then everything seemed to fall into place when I got another offer to go work in the Bay Area, this time for 13 weeks. I packed up the cat and drove up there, looking forward to the great pay and benefits which would allow me to pay my room rent in the Bay Area plus pay for my permanent place that I had down here. Unfortunately, this job fell through after only two days, and I came back to Southern California with the cat and no job. I applied for unemployment benefits, but was denied. I could only find sporadic work at that time, which was not enough to pay rent. I gave up my place and stayed with friends and in a motel for the first few nights. I then went to the first of 3 shelters. I had to flee the second shelter after being physically assaulted there. The third shelter provided me the support and safety I needed to get back on my feet and obtain a job which allows me to be self-sufficient again. Thus, after two months there, I am able to move into a place of my own again. -Mindy

Today we congratulate Robert for ending his homeless situation. Read his story below as written by his sister who we worked with to get Robert into permanent housing:

Dear OTS, sorry ive been such a problem, anyways bob has been basically homeless since approx august 18th his girl he’s been with for approx 39 years had a major stroke, needed round the clock care more than he could provide this was over a two year period. I helped trying to get her a caregiver then they needed a line in applied through housing. They agreed after her doctor wrote a letter so they approved a two bedroom one thing after another her family that hasn’t helped at all decided she was going to a nursing home, she at first did not want to go but after her family had a lot of talks decided the day after the move out of there upstairs apartment. She couldn’t get around from up there, so they lost that apartment that’s just part of it they were so wrong. My brother whom had taken good care of her for a long time went into a deep depression scared all of us his family i helped him when i could let him stay my place from time to time was basically couch. Hopping, a friends one night in his car a few nights only had a limited time before his housing voucher expired so i really was working hard as he has dyslexia bipolar depression i believe he’s beginning alzheimer’s need to get to the doctor next. His friend tammy waitmen through mental health told me of this place were at now. Some friend at the church told me of you so am asking please help. Hez finally smiling a little not to much but some is better than none. Thank you so much.

Today we congratulate Virginia for getting out of her homeless situation and into a rental of her own. We were happy to build a budget with Virginia and after she found a rental that fit her budget we were happy to pay her security deposit so she could move in. Read her story below:

Hi OTS, My name is Virginia. The reason I need Off the Streets to help assist me with a security deposit is because I have been living on the street in my broke down car at Veterans Park in Long Beach CA since July 31 2017. I live on a fix income from SSI and I can’t afford move in deposit. My previous landlord decided to no longer participate in the section 8 program which causes me to have to move with nowhere to go and no money to pay move in cost for a new place. I’m 71yrs old with diabetes and high blood pressure living in the park. It would mean the world to me if I can get assistance from your organization to help me get back into a safe place to live from living outside. To shower and eat a hot meal. Thank you so much. -Virginia

Today we congratulate Miriam and her 3 kids for ending their homeless situation. In addition to paying their deposit so they could move in, we will soon be providing this family much needed furniture so they can get a fresh start in their new rental. Read Miriam’s story below:

I am a widow of a US Marine who was killed and hit and run in 2015. I have three small children ages 12, 10 and 8. I am battling cervical cancer for the second time and find it hard to keep my spirits up when I have no support. My children and I became homeless after My husband was killed on April 8, 2015. and after my landlord illegally evicted us so that she could rent her home again for a much larger amount. Unfortunately, we have no family support or friends to whom we can count on or offer us a place to stay. I consider myself homeless because I have no relatives or friends that would take me and my children in. For the past year we have been staying with an an employer where I act as a live in home health aid to her Father while she works a graveyard shift. That is the ONLY reason I was allowed to stay. She has kicked me out in the street twice before from one day to the next. This past year and a half have been extremely stressful and has affected my health. I honestly do not have a place to go or support anyone. Just yesterday I found the belongings we had stored in the garage were outside on the street. Just recently I finally found a home that accepted my lease application and accepts section 8. I hope that Off the Streets can bless us with the funds for security deposit so that we can move in before Christmas. I have finally found hope just at the right time. I have received a section 8 voucher and now OFF THE STREETS is making our Christmas by blessing us with deposit for a home. Our family might not have christmas gifts this year but a home is the only wish we ALL wished for and that is what we received. Thank you all that donated to this gund and to the wonderful volunteers who made this possible!

Today we congratulate Janelle, Matthew and their 2 kids for getting into their own apartment after losing their last place in November and had no place to go. They received a notice from their landlord that they had to vacate. They have a section 8 voucher but because they are low income, they needed help with the security deposit. We were able to help this family with a budget and the security deposit so they could be in a place for Christmas with their kids. All of us at OTS wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in your new home!

Three and a half years ago in June of 2014 we started OTS with a modest goal of placing 3 homeless individuals into housing that year. We ended up placing over 50 people that first year, and that has increased each year after. Today we just placed our 500th individual into permanent housing! Thank you for all your support.

Today we congratulate ‘Charlotte’ (privacy protected) and her 2 kids for getting out of their homeless situation and into their own apartment. After building a budget with her and coordinating with the shelter she has been staying at, we were happy to pay their deposit so they could move in. This family will now be able to spend Christmas in their own home. Read ‘Charlotte’s’ story below:

To whom it may concern,
My name is ‘Charlotte’. I currently reside at a shelter with my two young children. My son is 10 years old and my daughter is 5 years old. I entered this program on May 12, 2017 as a survivor of domestic violence. I had experienced emotional, mental and physical abuse by my ex-husband for two years. I have the opportunity to have stable and permanent housing for myself and my two children. Due to my low income, it has become a barrier for me to provide a deposit for my housing opportunity. With I am capable of maintaining the rent each month but cannot afford the huge amount of deposit out of pocket. I am requesting financial assistance for the amount of the deposit. I am scheduled to move into the unit in early December. Please advise if you can assist me and my family with the deposit. If any further information or documents are needed feel free to contact me with these request. Thank you for your time, support and help with this matter. – ‘Charlotte’

Today we congratulate Aracely, her husband Daniel and their 4 kids for getting out of their homeless situation and into their own rental today. When Aracely called us and qualified, we built a budget with her, and after she found an apartment that fit this budget we were happy to pay the security deposit so they could move in.

Hello, my name is Aracely, my family of 6 and I have been without a home since November 1. We were given a month’s notice from our landlord to vacate our apartment, due to renovation, and raising the rent, which we could not afford anymore. We have been staying at motel for most of the month, but cannot afford anymore. We we referred to you by Families Forward. We have found an apartment, and can move in December with your help. I ask if you can help us as as possible. My family and I thank you.

Today we congratulate Robert for getting into his own place. After we built a budget with Robert, he was able to find a rental he could afford, so we helped him with the security deposit so he could move in. Read his story below

Hi, my current situation is I am currently homeless at times living in a motel, I pay weekly and at times I sleep behind buildings depending on the weather. I no longer have a car due to it kept breaking down and no longer could afford to fix it, so I lost my car. I have been homeless for 1 year because I was staying in an apartment and my friend needed a place to stay a few nights because he was working near my home. Within a few nights he became abusive and drinking. I asked him to get help. He committed suicide and this had me drinking a lot where I was not able to focus so when my lease was up I went into a AA program and moved in with one of my support groups as a roommate. The owner lost the property and I felt like here I go again. I had no one to turn too but I stayed sober due to the program. It was a time when I trusted no one. I was on the streets going to work and had no place to live. I leave work and cry because I have no place to call home. I have stayed in the worst motels and it is a scary situation. I am good guy who does not want another person to go thru the things I have experienced in a year me on the streets. I have now cleaned up my act and want a studio apartment to afford and save to get me a car. Honestly, when I get to into another apartment being homeless changes you forever. I constantly look for places and the down payment is high and I am not able to afford the down payment. I am hoping for your assistance so I can show others in my situation it only takes a person to speak out for HELP! Thank You, Robert

Today we congratulate Cecilia and her daughter for getting into their own home. Read their story below….

To whom it may concern,
Hi my name is Cecilia. I am a single mother of a 10-year-old daughter. I got divorced about 5 years and I decided I needed to move out of the place where my husband and I used to live with our daughter. As hard as it was I knew that moving out of the place where we lived was the best decision for my daughter and me. I just couldn’t stay living at the same place where I had gone through a hard time of my life. Therefore, I rented a one-bedroom apartment in Garden Grove for my daughter and me. I had to ask for help from my mother because my credit score wasn’t at all good and I couldn’t do it on my own. My daughter and I lived there for 2 years. It wasn’t easy. Many times I felt alone and scared. I remember crying many nights alone without anyone to talk to. I was facing the cruel reality of being a single parent and I was going through a tough divorce at that time. But as hard as it was I was able to face life alone with my daughter. Knowing we had a place to call home was a good feeling. A place where there wasn’t any fighting, arguing, and violence. I felt good as a mother to be able to provide a safe environment for my daughter. Two years later I lost my job and I could no longer afford to pay for the rent. I also decided I needed to go back to school. It wasn’t an easy decision since I always thought school was for smart people and that I wasn’t one of those people. I knew that that wasn’t going to be easy for many reasons but regardless of it all I enrolled in college and moved out of my apartment. I literally didn’t have a place to go so I asked my mother for help. After she talked to her husband (my stepfather) they agreed to help me only for three months since they really didn’t have the space for my daughter and I. My mother only had a one-bedroom apartment so they offer me to stay with my daughter in the living room. I remember crying like crazy the first night. I felt awkward. As if I didn’t belonged there. But once again I was making a sacrifice for my daughter. I knew that going to school was far more important than having a place. (At least at that time) Unfortunately, those 3 months turned into 3 years!! Three years of living in a living room without any privacy, having my daughter sleeping in the floor many times. It was very hard to see my daughter go through so much. It wasn’t only that she would sleep on the floor but I also witness how she was always being yelled at and had many rules she needed to follow. My mother didn’t make things easy for us. In fact, thing got worse and worse and worse. First, my mother’s sister-in-law and her adult 3 sons came to live with us. To the living room were my daughter and I were staying. There were literally 7 adults, including me and one child, my daughter, living in a one-bedroom apartment. I don’t understand why would my mother bring her sister-in-law to live there when she knew there wasn’t any space for her. That made things worst for my daughter and I. Because of the lack of space, my mother decided to get rid of dining table to be able to fit her sister in law in her sons in the living room. Therefore, we didn’t have a table to sit and have dinner. This really hurt me as a mother. I grew up eating on the floor and it was so hard to see my daughter go through what I went through as a child. So I decided to work harder and long hours to save for a place for my daughter and me. My daughter and I would constantly pray that God would open a door for us so we could have our own space again. It has been extremely hard to see my daughter struggle so much because of the condition we were in. thank God her sister in law and her sons were only there for 6 months which even though it was still tough at least it was as tough as when they were there. But then about two weeks ago I was asked by my mother to leave the house because her in-laws were coming to stay there too. They are old and in much need of attention since both of their parents have diabetes. Due to the fact that they came to stay I can no longer be there with my daughter. It is only a one-bedroom/one-bath apartment and it is not big enough for all of us. This has placed me in a hard situation where I don’t have a place to take my daughter. I have been staying at my employer’s job while I find a place for my daughter and I. It is not easy. I have cried many nights asking God why? I do know that he works in mysterious ways and all I can do it trust him 100%. Now my daughter doesn’t have a place to live and that’s why I am asking off the streets to please help me. I now have a good stable job that will help me pay for an apartment for my daughter and I. I know it won’t be easy but as a mother I am willing to do whatever it takes to provided a place for my daughter, a place to call home. Being homeless is not something I thought I would have to go through, specially my daughter. I need help and I hope you guys can help me.
Thank you, Cecilia

Today we congratulate Nycole and her 6 kids for getting into their own home after being without a home for the last 8 months. After Nycole contacted us we built a budget with her and after she found a rental that fit this budget, we were happy to help her with the security deposit. We will soon be providing this family much needed furniture and household goods. Read Nycole’s story below:

Me and my 6 children became homeless in February of 2017. My landlord wanted to sell her property we were renting and we could not find a replacement because my income didn’t meet the requirement of three times the rent. We had to leave all our things behind. We lived in a hotel for a couple weeks while still searching. We ran out of money and went to the Path of life Community shelter. The conditions were not appropriate for the children. It was dangerous and unclean. We left and stayed in the hotel a couple more weeks before going back. We stayed in the hotel for about two weeks and then got a call we were accepted into the Path of Life Family shelter. I got asked to leave because I missed a couple nights due to being stranded too far without a working vehicle. We slept in a tent for a couple of days and then they let us back in. We stayed there until August 28th and left because another girl assaulted my daughter and she ended up in the hospital. They did not ask that family to leave as per the rule book so my daughter was too scared to go back in. The director had already notified me a week prior of my time being expired. You only get 90 days. We lived in our car for a week before they towed it because it was on the street unoperational for more than 72hrs. Then we slept in a tent for 4 days. My friend came and got us and we stayed with her for two weeks. Her landlord found out so we had to go. We stayed in the hotel for 2 more weeks and then moved to a friend’s house in Indio. Where we’ve been for a week now. We received a voucher from section 8 on July 3rd and began looking for a rental immediately. We found a rental in Moreno Valley in the beginning of August. We were supposed to move in on August 29th and she cancelled that day saying she had rented it the night before. I believe she just wanted the deposit. We continued to look and we have finally been blessed with being able to find a home for rent! We move in the end of October! We have lost everything thing we own and I just want to give the kids normalcy and stability. We’ve been through some much and they are such wonderful people I wish I could give them so much more. -Nycole.

Today we congratulate Jason for ending his homeless situation. After Jason qualified for our services, we built a budget with him, and after he found a rental that he could afford based on this budget, we were happy help him with the security deposit so he could move in. He told us yesterday that he literally only has a few blankets, so we will soon be providing him all the essential household items and furniture he needs to make his rental into a real home.

“My name is Jason and I went homeless in 2011. I was working but not being paid enough to pay my rent. In addition, I was drinking and using and was battling undiagnosed schizoaffective. It was in July and I lost my job a couple months after because they knew I was homeless. I stayed homeless in Costa Mesa until March 2014. In the meantime, I lost my family, my son, and everything I had and loved. I lost all my material things and all my writings. I did meet a beautiful girl in 2012 and fell in love. We were homeless together in Costa Mesa. She got pregnant and had our son in April of 2014. I was in jail for a resisting arrest charge I received. I smoked a lot of pot and drank occasionally on the street. When I got out of jail I was homeless again but she came to see me every day with the baby and we moved into a room in Buena Park in June of 2014. We were there until December 2014. I was having a hard time with my mental health issues and went to the mental hospital. When we moved we went to a motel in Santa Ana and stayed there until March 2015. We broke up. I was so stressed out about rent every week and started drinking and using again. Plus I was hearing voices and my mental health was a real issue. It scared her off and she moved up to San Francisco. I went into Sober living in Costa Mesa and managed to stay there until December of 2015 working odd jobs and barely getting by. I ran out of work in December and could not pay my rent so I went homeless again. My mental health got so bad that I checked myself into College Hospital in February or March of 2016 and they put me on Zyprexa. The medicine helped with my psychosis and I have been on the medicine ever since. Joining the PACT program through Orange County Mental Health Services has saved my life. I got into the Hope House in July of 2016 and from there moved to the Friendship Shelter in Laguna. I have been there for a year now and am actively looking for housing. I have a voucher through OC mental health called the Shelter Plus Care voucher and am trying my hardest to find a place. I have a lot of support at the Friendship Shelter and OC Mental Health. I’m also looking into the Wellness Center and REI in Orange. So that is where I am today. Sober and trying to stay off the streets forever. I really need to find a place so all this hard work is not all for naught. I don’t want to be homeless ever again.”
-Thanks, Jason

Today we congratulate Jessica and her Mom, Marian, for ending their homeless situation that they have been facing for over the last year. We built a budget with them and after they found a rental they they could afford, we were happy to pay the security deposit so they could move in because they didn’t have any savings. We will soon be providing them with much needed furniture and household goods.

Marion is a home care nurse. She had one patient she worked 5 hours per day 7 days per week. Her daughter Jessica is disabled she started receiving SSI when she was 18, she is now 28. In April 2015 Marion’s only patient passed away and she lost that income but continues to receive a small early retirement income. Since then she and Jessica have been staying anywhere they could with family, friends, motel rooms, etc. They also stayed at the Path of Life shelter for 5 months. Their goal is to get a place and save enough money to buy a car so Marion can work again. They found an affordable apartment and have been approved for it. They just need the despot funds since they have no savings.

This daughter and mother bring our placements this year to 170 and our grand total up to 480 since we started OTS in 2014.

Today we congratulate Estefani and her 2 young boys for getting into their own rental today. She is a working mother and has been living place to place after they had to leave their last place. They have been sleeping on the floors and couches trying to keep a roof over their head. Based on the budget we built with her she can afford rent but didn’t have the savings to be able to move into her own rental. As such we were happy to pay their security deposit. Read their story below:

Hello,
This is my story, I Estefani moved to Riverside County, California May 18, 2016 with my two boys at the time of moving. We decided to relocate for change and a peace of mind. After experience the lost of my baby brother whom was murdered innocently two days after his (19th birthday) it was a hard experience to go through. My extended family from California had reached out to my family and suggested to come down. My aunt was coming home from being incarcerated for over 10 years, we thought that would be a great time to caught up and bond and being a helping hand to one another. Such as; while I went to work she would be able to be a child care provider for my boys. And I would help with expenses with the house, by going to work. Unfortunately things did not work out as planned. My aunt decided to get back into her old ways which caused her to go to prison the first time, going back to behaviors and activities that caused the home my boys and I were in to be unsafe. In time my aunt kicked us out and we had no place of our own to call home, leaving us homeless. In the process I lost my job and lived with friends and other extended family members rotating from home to home, sleeping on floors and couches. Through it all my boys gave me the strength to get through such hardship, along with staying with a hopeful heart. I then continued looking for work, and was able to find full time employment. With working and staying focused I was blessed to find a home for me children and I and with the help of OFF THE STREETS lending a hand I was able to afford my rental fees. My boys and I finally have a place to call home. Thank you OFF THE STREETS for being here, for those in need giving that hope to continue the fight in life.
Estefani

Today we extend a big and much-needed congratulations to Jaclyn and her 4 kids for getting out of their homeless situation and into a home of their own. When she contacted us they had lost their last residence due to a series of unfortunate and unsafe events. As a result, they had been living in a motel since early September and needed our assistance. We built a budget with her and when she found a place that fit this budget, we were happy to pay the security deposit directly to her landlord so they could move in. We will soon be providing this family much needed furniture and household goods.

This single Mom and her kids brings our placements this year to 165 and our grand total placements up to 475 since we started OTS in 2014.

Today we send a big congratulations to Niemea and her 2 boys for getting into their own apartment. For the last 2 months they have been staying at a women’s shelter, but when her time ran out there, they have been couch hopping and sleeping on floors to keep a roof over their heads. Most recently she received a hotel voucher and has been staying there until we were able to move her in. We will soon be providing this single Mom all the essential furniture and household goods that she needs to get a fresh start in their new apartment. Read her story below:

My family story
After being evicted from my last apartment I had nowhere to go for my boys and so I was forced to go into many shelters and live with different people. This was a tragedy for my boys and I. I’m very thankful and excited about finding an apartment that would be a real home for my boys.

I am homeless with my two boys I was previously staying at Option House Shelter staying there two months. I wasn’t able to extend my time so now I’m sleeping from place to place. I found my boys Grandpa and we have been staying with him. Last night that’s where I spent the night but I cannot live here because it is a senior citizen apartment. I’m only allowed to spend two days out of the week without him receiving an eviction because I am not on the lease and I cannot be added to the lease. I don’t pay rent because I can’t live here. I come to shower or to eat. His apartment is a one bedroom, so the boys and I sleep on the floor. I’m so sorry but this is very hard for me to write I get very depressed thinking about the situation. I’m so happy and thankful that God has gave us a place to live a place to call home. That’s why I need off the streets help, because I need to get my boys off the street. The assistance I currently needs is help with move in deposit & house supplies like boys beds(2), kitchen table, pots & pans, living room couches.

The smallest things count like a home,( so tired of sleeping on people floor). That’s why I need your help, to bring joy, peace, happiness back in our life. Through this struggle I also kept my faith in God. Thank you so much for this opportunity and support. I pray I can give back to off the streets! I love you guys from bottom of my heart. God Bless you!!
Thank you for your support, Niemea

Today we extend a big congratulations to Julie Ann and her son for getting out of their homeless situation and into their own home. They have been without a home for over the last 4 months, living in shelters, motels, friends’ couches, vehicles, and sometimes separated due to these difficult circumstances. We built a budget with Julie Ann, and after she found a rental that fit this budget, we were happy to pay her security deposit so they could move in. We will soon be providing them with all the essential furniture and household goods they need to make their rental a real home. Read her story below:

My story
I am a homeless single mother who has struggled continuously to raise my son. My father has just recently passed from cancer I took leave of absence from work to care for him. My brother took everything financially and, as a result I lost my last apartment, and I am homeless now. I am working and have ability to pay my bills and my rent I just need my son and I off the streets. It’s very scary and have been all over from friends to park to motels. I have no savings at this point.

We have been homeless for 4 1/2 months now and we have suffered many struggles daily, worrying whether we had shelter for that night. We have endured many sleepless nights not having the stability of our home or a place to go. We have our Lucy, our 12 year old chihuahua, who has been our loyal friend through thick and thin. I soon found that homeless shelters were not an option for us, we could not part with the loss if our Lucy. We stayed with friends, on couches, at motels, behind Michael’s craft store, motorhomes, tents, Ruth’s truck, Vons parking lot, with complete strangers who took us in for a night, and at the park! It’s very scary place alone at night outside, afraid we were going to get hurt or robbed. We have the money for rent. We need to have our lives back proper living stability again so we can get back to our normal daily schedule and have a meal together in our own home! I feel that the budget offered shows me so many insightful choices to assure I can maintain our new home. I would forever be grateful to off the streets for the generous help that they have provided for us. Seeing my son smile and not stress or worry is priceless. Thank you very much !!
Julie Ann

Today we congratulate Tanosha and her daughter Tiffany (with baby on the way) for ending their homeless situation today by getting into their own apartment. Tanosha and Tiffany recently lost their last residence when their landlord would not renew their lease. When they had money they would stay in a hotel and as a last resort they would stay in their car. Tanosha has a job but couldn’t afford both first month’s rent and security deposit. We built a budget with her and after she found a place she could afford, we were happy to pay her security deposit so they could all move in. Their story:

“My name is Tanosha myself and my daughter have been Homeless since last month. Our Landlord would not renew our lease which resulted in both of us having to move. I choose to just move out it’s hard enough to find a place without an eviction on your name so rather than fight it out in court I left on the day the landlord requested I leave. I do have a job I have been on three years and able to pay my rent once I’m moved it I just can’t afford to come up the first months rent and deposit. I already paid the first months rent and provided my landlord with your phone number feel free to contact me if you have any further questions, Tanosha”

Tanosha and Tiffany, from all of us at OTS, congratulations on your new home and we wish you the very best when your baby arrives!

Today we congratulate Letoya and her 2 kids for ending their homeless situation by getting into their own home. This family has been without a home of their own for 8 months. When Letoya called we built a budget with her and after she found a modest rental that fit this budget, we were happy pay their security deposit so they could move in. We will soon be providing this family with all the essential furniture they need to make their rental into a real home. Read Letoya’s story below:

Hi, my name is Letoya. About 8-10 months ago I started falling in some real hard times. I was in an abusive relationship so I was going through a nasty divorce. Through the midst of it all at the same time I got evicted so I lost my place had no where for me to take my two minor children, I lost my car, then my job, all in a 8 months time. I didn’t know what to do. My kids and I have been in and out of motels and staying from place to. Through the mist of it all GOD gave me strength and seen me through. I now have my job back, and with the help of off the streets I’ll have a home to take my kids to. I plan on getting a vehicle soon. I’m starting over, but everything has a reason.
Thank you, Letoya

Letoya, from all of us at OTS, we congratulate you on your new home!

This family brings our placements this year to 152 and our grand total since we started placing people in 2014 up to 462.

Today we congratulate Deanna, Amando and their 3 kids for getting into a home they can call their own. We built a budget with them and after they found a place that fit this budget we were happy to pay their security deposit. We will also be providing this family furniture since the last place they were staying at was fully furnished.

Good Morning OTS,
After we were asked to leave our last place because they complained our kids were too loud, we have been staying with my husband’s family or at my sister’s house over the weekends. We stay in their living rooms and thankfully they let us shower. We have been roaming around for about 1 month and I need to find a place as soon as possible. I feel so bad that my children have to be going thru this. My husband and I both have jobs but we just need a little boost to get on our feet since we don’t have any savings due to my husband just recently getting a job. My 8 year old started school already and I want him to be stable. If their is something that you guys can help me and my family with I would be so thankful. God knows I need it.
Thank you,
Deanna

Today we congratulate Erica and her 3 kids for ending their homeless situation and getting into a home of their own. When she called and qualified for our program, we built a budget with her and because her rental fit this budget we were happy to pay this family’s security deposit so they could move in. We will also be providing them much needed furniture very soon. Read Erica’s story below:

Dear OTS,
I have been homeless now since about January of this year. Me and my family had an apartment and we were already going through financial issues being that I wasn’t getting a lot of hours at work. The financial issues caused a lot of fighting and arguing between me and my ex-boyfriend. The fights became physical which made me decide to start making plans to leave the situation. Then in a sudden freak accident my ex boyfriend got hit by a forklift at work and until this day is injured and out of work because of it. He did receive his workman’s compensation but we had to wait three months for him to receive any money and in turn ended up losing our place. I was homeless for about 3 weeks then found somebody that was willing to rent me a room so I can get back on my feet. Not realizing what I was getting myself into at the time I went along with it. A couple weeks after I moved in I started to notice the people I was living with had a lot of traffic in and out and eventually found out that these people were on drugs. There was a lot of late-night parties and a lot of strangers in and out of the house. Although me and my ex-boyfriend were living separately at the time we were still sharing custody of my son so unfortunately he was still coming around one night we got into a huge fight. The police were called and after describing to the police officer what happened and the situation that I was living in he gave me a card and told me to call the number on it. It was a number to a shelter called alternatives to domestic violence. After calling this place about 3 or 4 days straight she ended up letting me come with my kids. It’s a 30 to 45 program. I stayed 45 days and during that time my section 8 housing voucher application came in the mail. Something that I’ve been praying for-for years now. God is always right on time. Because this couldn’t have all happened at the same time without his grace and mercy. Since then I ended my domestic violence program and did get help from the county with hotel vouchers and in the meantime have been looking for a place to stay that accept Section 8 vouchers I finally found one within the price range that I’m supposed to look for my only problem is I don’t have a deposit because of the fact that I am homeless money goes like water when you’re paying for hotel rooms in sleeping in your car or paying people to let you sleep over their house it’s very expensive to say the least. This is the reason I need your help. Also when I went to The Domestic Violence Shelter I left behind everything I own. So I literally have no furniture nor do I have household items. Your help is very much needed for my family and I to move forward with our lives and start anew. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
God Bless, Erica

Erica, from all of us at OTS, congratulations on your new home!

This family brings our placements this year to 144 and our grand total since we started in 2014 up to 454.

Today we congratulate Alana and her son for ending their homeless situation which they have been enduring for the last 8 months. From her story below, you can see that Alana is a hard-working, caring mother!

I have been homeless now for about 8 or more months. I lost my job a little over a year ago. Was working temp positions here and there but was not enough to make ends meet. I had to break my lease and move out. Which I am making payments on to clear off my credit record. Due to that it’s been hard to find a place and is also why my deposit is so high. I had nowhere to go. I would leave my son at my mom or dad’s houses while I stay in my car, with friends or at families houses. I picked up a position at the job I am currently at now soon after. I have been here for a little over a year. I work 40 hours a week now. I love my job and thank God everyday for it. Due to my amount of hours and pay I am not eligible for any county assistance. I have been looking for a place for the past 3 to 4 months and have not had any one accept me. The landlord blessed me with this one. She is a true blessing working with me to rent me this unit. I can afford rent every month, but my deposit is high do to previous renting issue. Any help I would truly be grateful for, I just really need help with this deposit. I can afford rent, food and other cost of living. This would truly be a huge blessing to me and my son. He is the main reason for everything. He is a great , good kid and deserves a stable place with his mother. Times have been hard, very HARD but many blessing have been coming and I truly appreciate any blessings you can help me and my son with. I promise I am a good, responsible person who works hard everyday and just needs a little help. Thank you so much for you time and good bless you all for what you do. Thank you, Alana

Alana, from all of us at OTS, we extend you a huge CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

This single mom brings our total placements this year to 140 and our grand total since we started to 450.

Today we congratulate Jacqueline, Lewis and their new baby girl for getting a home of their own. When Jacqueline first contacted us in early August she was 8 months pregnant and she had her daughter on August 18. As such, we were happy to help them get into a place of their own by building a budget with them and paying the security deposit after they found a place they could afford. They just needed a little hand up financially so they could have a new start with their newborn daughter. Read their story below:

Hi OTS, my name is Jacqueline. It’s been almost 2 months now that we once again have become homeless. Back in 2015 me and my boyfriend were staying in motels when we could afford to and when we couldn’t we would be in our car sleeping. Thankfully we were able to find an apartment within our budget and we moved in March of 2016. Signed a 9 month lease and then renewed the lease once it was up. On June 2017 we received a letter stating our lease would not be renewed and so we started looking for a new place. Now by that time not only am I 8 months pregnant just about to start my maternity leave but my boyfriend job assignment had ended since it was through a staff agency. So I became the only source of income in our home. Due to that we were not able to afford the deposit for the apartments we were inquiring about. July 31st came and we had to move out. Thankfully I have had family who was able to help and did not want to see us back in motels with a newborn. We have been staying at my cousin’s house since July 31st and on August 18th we received our biggest blessing, our new baby daughter. I don’t think there is any better reason than her on why we need this huge blessing from you, OTS. Even though we have had great support and we have been able to have a roof over our head, it’s still not our home. We are still without a home of our own and I don’t want my daughter to experience such hardship at just days from being born into this world. We just need a little bit of help to get through this and I hope you can be our next blessing. Thank you for your time and attention.
-Jacquelin

Jacquelin and Lewis, from all of us at OTS, we congratulate you both on your new home and especially on the birth of your new daughter!

This family brings our placements this year to 138 and our total since we started in 2014 up to 448.

Today we congratulate Roy for ending his homeless situation by getting into his own apartment. Roy contacted us this past June, we built a budget with him, and when he found an apartment that fit this budget we were happy to helping him with the security deposit. Read his story below:

Well my story is this. I’ve been homeless for a little over a year now. I was living in an apartment complex it has changed ownership so there for everybody had to move out. They pay his $500 but we all couldn’t find a place at the time, so I was living at the park here near. I may stay with a friend, but most the time I was always have, park on the street. They never be times when churches come in give us food and stuff, feeders at the parks things like that. I was laid off my job for about a year. I just got back working earlier this year so I’ve just been working and working and trying to find a place to stay. I have no no Addictions, but my credit score is low so it’s hard for me. So I’m just trying to get back on my feet. I hope to open a bank account now so I’m trying to save and get back on my feet. Now that’s basically my story that I just been struggling. First time ever been down just low you know I’m homeless but I have been struggling and you have paid by the grace of God I’m getting back up on my feet. -Roy

Roy from all of us at OTS, we wish you the very best in your new apartment.

Roy is the 135th person we’ve helped get into permanent housing this year, and the 445th person we’ve placed since we started in 2014.

Today we congratulate Jeannette and her son for not only ending their homeless situation but also for reuniting! Jeannette has been without a home of her own since 2015 and as a result lost custody of her kids. When she got a steady job, she contacted us, we built a budget with her, and she was able to find a rental that fit her budget, which now allows her to reunite with her oldest son. Read her story below:

My name is Jeannette and I am a mother who is 19 months into recovery. I recently moved to the area due to becoming homeless due to my addiction in 2015. For the past 13 years of my life I was addicted to anything I could get my hands on. I had my first encounter with life changing events in 2010 to end my life with 4 young children upstairs in their room. I was completely overwhelmed and exhausted with life. I would not be successful since I made it out alive. I then continued in my addiction for the next three years which by then I had had my fifth child, my only girl, and still couldn’t seem to accept that I had a problem. That I was a sick person that needed help. I did three treatments and two outpatient treatments and I was unable to find peace in my recovery so I relapsed. I made the decision to change my life in 2016 and would be more willing than ever before because just a month earlier in 2015 I was told that I lost parental rights to my kids and that I would not be able to get them back. At that time, I moved out to the Coachella Valley in Jan 2016 and have since been sober and working on regaining everything that I lost in my addiction. I managed to get my life in order and complete a treatment. Shortly after that my counselor advised me of a peer employment training that was being held in the area and so I went to it and completed it. I am currently employed at a mental health facility where I am recovery coach assigned to help instill hope in others when they are down and do not feel that there is any home. I have an open CPS case with my oldest and the only requirement left to get him home is that I have stable housing for him. I really would benefit from this assistance since it would be a step in the right direction for me to get my kids back.
Jeannette

Jeannette – from all of us at OTS, Congratulations on your new home!

This family brings our total placements this year to 134 and our grand total since we started just over 3 years ago to 444.

Tonight we congratulate Dywanna and her daughter for getting out of the homeless shelter they were staying in and moving into their own rental. They have been homeless for 7 months, living in a shelter, after they experienced a crisis with a previous housing voucher as she explains below. After building a budget with Dywanna we were happy to pay her security deposit so they could move in. Since they have virtually no possessions, our volunteers will soon be delivering furniture and household goods to their apartment. Read Dywanna’s story below:

Dear OTS. I was working to get housed with my housing voucher and when I went to the housing office they told me that they’ll start to calculate my rent but until then they couldn’t help me find somewhere to stay even though on their paperwork, it states that they provided emergency shelter. They said the best advice they had was to call 211 until they were done calculating. After the thanksgiving weekend back in 2016 section 8 called me and told me, even with my updated income I still didn’t qualify for many apartments in California; so with very little choices, I called 211 and they provided me with a listing of all shelters in California. After four days of calling, one shelter accepted myself and my daughter.. Ever since then my daughter and I have been staying there for about seven months. During our time here my daughter and I have become volunteers helping put away cots, cleaning the chapel and shower room, and monitoring showers. The streets are dangerous with drug addicts desperate for money and gang members looking to prove themselves. There even been a few ladies that were attacked, sexually assaulted, and murdered by men who sleep in tents on the sidewalk. With there being a lot of women there isn’t enough of many things. For instant, they’re long lines for the bathroom, cots are taken quickly, seats in the day room, and they tend to run out of soap sometimes; and with everyone being low on funds, robbery , assault , murder is the largest problem staying there. I need help with a security deposit, furnishings and household items
Thank you, Dywanna

From all of us at OTS, we wish you and your daughter the very best in your new home!

This family brings our total placements to 132 this year, and our grand total to 442 since we started OTS just over 3 years ago.

Today we congratulate Noel for ending his homeless situation that he has been facing for the last 1 and ½ years. We built a budget with him and when he found a rental that he could afford, we were happy to pay the security deposit so he could move in. Now that he has his own place, Noel will be able to have his sons visit him so they can be together. Read his story below:

Hi my name is Noel. I don’t know where to start. I have been homeless for approximately 1 1/2 years. I previously moved to Orange County in February of 2016. I was living in hotels with my family, my 2 boys and my wife. Due to our family income, we were unable to afford our rent. We started to live in our car and shelters. My wife and I have both struggled with substance abuse. For this reason, our children were removed from us in September of 2016. Both my wife and I completed many courses, counseling, and treatment to better ourselves for our children. However, my wife has not been able to recover and is now living in a treatment center; I have been sober since October of 2016. I have become a single father caring for my children since January of 2017. I was blessed by receiving the assistance from many programs. I was able to gain a stable job, in March of 2017, and have been saving so I can afford an apartment for my children and I. However, In order for our family to be reunified, I need to have stable housing and then my children will be returning home with their dad. Eventually, once my wife is sober, she will be joining the family once again. I have been able to find a location that I can afford and is within my budget. I would like to receive the assistance from Off the Streets Huntington Beach so I can bring my family together and care for my children once again. I have been through some tough patches and have overcome several obstacles. I currently have monitored visits with my children. I am up to 15 hours a week and the next step is unsupervised / un-monitored visits. If I had a place to live, I then would have the ability to also have overnight stays. It would mean the world for my boys and I to be living together, under the same roof, once again!!!

Noel, from all of us at OTS, congratulations. We look forward to hearing from you when your entire family is back together again.

Noel is our 130th placement this year and our 440th placement since we started 3 years ago.

Today we congratulate Jessicah and her 6 kids not only for getting into their own home but also for reuniting after her kids have been in foster care due to Jessicah’s homelessness the last 2 months. Read their full story below:

My story. Two years ago I decided to go back to college. I just recently finished at Victor Valley college. I decided earlier this year I wanted to transfer to UC Riverside. I was in a housing program in Victorville that transferred to section 8 in Riverside. To begin the transfer process I had to put in a notice to vacate. I was told by the housing authority to not worry. I could always request more time. The unit was inspected even though I was planning on moving. The damages my children and I did, I fixed. Such as small holes in the wall, stopped up toilets, and the front door was broken. The owner was suppose to add a carbon monoxide detector, fix the backyard gate, and the peeling wallpaper. He refused because I was moving and he wanted to use my deposit for the repairs. Since he would not do the repairs the housing authority stopped payment and I was told to move. I had to stay in the area so I could finish college. I tried to get the owner to let me stay and just pay my portion of the rent. He lied and said he had a new tenant lines up.(The place is still empty now). We have been homeless since May 2nd. The first 16 days we received hotel vouchers. After that I spent my savings of of $2,000 to stay in a room with my children and to keep my truck running. Upon coming to Riverside to look for housing I got into some trouble and my children are now in foster care due to my homelessness. I have been staying in my truck. My 1 year old has been hospitalized for a week because she was so depressed she would not eat. The judge authorized my children to be released to upon finding suitable housing. And here I am now asking you guys for help. My children need me and I need them. I’m only trying to better myself and it seems like everyone is against me. Like it was a mistake to pursue a higher education. Like I should have just accepted living off of government aid my whole life. I have attached a letter from my old property manager explaining why I had to leave to the homeless assistance worker and proof of me being a newly transfer student to UC Riverside. I was also accepted into Cal state San Bernardino, UC Davis, and UC Santa Barbara. I was not accepted into UCLA because I did not take Chemistry, which is a main requirement for my major. At first UC Santa Barbara rejected me because I did not fulfill the requirements for my major, but later asked me to appeal the decision under a different major. I have been through hell and beyond in the last two years and I am not stopping now. I’m honest and hard working and I just need some help. Thank you, Jessicah

Jessicah, all of us at OTS wish you and your children the very best in your new home.

This family brings our total placements this year to 129 and our grand total since we started OTS 3 years ago to 439.

Today we congratulate Sasha, her friend Betty, and Sasha’s 4 year old daughter for ending their homeless situation. They both were forced to leave their last residences, so to conserve their money they have been sharing hotel expenses and will also split their new rental cost. But after nearly 2 months of staying in hotels their funds were getting quickly getting depleted and they needed our help with the deposit to get into their own rental. Sasha wrote, “the monthly hotel cost is too much money and we can not afford to stay here any longer, we have spent all that we have just to have a place to lay our heads at night I have requested help from the county as well and I don’t know what else to do. please help Us to get out of this bad situation. I really need all the help I can get to survive this difficult time. and it is very difficult to gather up enough money to get into an apartment. i will be forever grateful. thank you so much for your time. -Sasha”

Sasha and Betty, from all of us at OTS we wish you the best in your new home.

This brings our placements this year to 122 and our grand total since we started OTS in 2014 to 432.

Today we congratulate Talia, Gilbert and their 5 kids for getting into their own rental after enduring over 3 months of homelessness. This family of 7 has had to endure hotels, a friend’s motor home, and their vehicle to stay sheltered. Read more about this family’s struggle below:

My name is Talia married to Gilbert we have 5 beautiful children. We became homeless February 28, 2017. We lived in Anaheim for 8 years. We became homeless because the owners sold that house. 2 months prior to being homeless on February 28, 2017 we transferred our housing to Riverside County and we found a landlord who was willing to rent to us with housing in Corona but she needed the approval from housing first. Unfortunately housing took too long so two days before I almost lost my housing voucher for good I decided to stay in Orange County so we wouldn’t lose our housing. From there on out we were on the streets in hotels for the second month which welfare approved to pay for 16 days only, staying in our vehicle, staying at the Lemon Tree Hotel and the Sand Man. We were able to stay at a friend’s house for about a month until some neighbors complained because we were staying in the driveway in a motorhome so we had to leave from that house about a month-and-a-half ago so we were back in the hotels and staying in our car because we ran out of money so fast. the places that we would stay at in our vehicle on the streets in Anaheim right behind an abandoned grocery store and also at a car wash, last night we stayed in the car behind the 7-Eleven. We found a house in Orange and housing has done the inspection and it just passed on June 30, 2017 I received the housing letter via email and paid my monthly rental portion right away like it says to do on off the streets website, we’re just waiting for help on a deposit so we can move in. please let me know right away if you can help us so we can figure it out and try and get a deposit please. -Thanks, Talia

Talia, Gilbert and kids – from all of us at OTS we wish you the very best!

This family brings our placements this year to 117 and our grand total over the last 3 years to 429.

Today we congratulate David for ending over a year of homelessness by getting into his own rental at a senior community. David has not worked in a couple of years due to severe medical problems and his only income is from disability. He became homeless when his last place flooded and he was not able to move back in due to mold and mildew from the flood. He has since been sleeping in his car. David has obtained a housing voucher, but due to his limited income he is able to afford the monthly rent but not the security deposit to be able to move in. We were happy to assist with paying the security deposit so he could move in and have his own place again.

David from all of us at OTS, congratulations on your new place!

David brings our total placements this year to 112 and our grand total since we started 3 years ago to 422.

Today we congratulate Milisa and her son who has autism for ending their homeless situation by getting their own home. They have been homeless for 2 months living in a hotel to stay sheltered but this has depleted her funds. We built a budget with Milisa and after she found a place she could afford we were happy to pay the security deposit directly to the landlord so they could move in. Read their story here:

“Dear Off The Streets: My name is Milisa and I am a single mom to an adult son with autism. In 2013 I was in an accident and was unable to work therefore I was evicted. It is on my credit report permanently. It has been very hard finding a place. We were living between a hotel and my sister’s house.

My sister’s has a one bedroom and it’s been a strain on us all because there isn’t any space, for my son especially. At 1st we were ok and getting along but she started drinking again and became abusive. She’d throw us out when she was drunk and ask us to come back when she was sober and this went on for awhile. I couldn’t take the abuse and it gave my autistic son anxiety. We need a place of our own. It makes living there hostel place for my disabled son and I.

All the while I was applying for places and getting denied because of my prior eviction. I’ve applied for places after places with no success. I finally found someone who would rent to me and the issue was I was limited on cash from hotel fees. And it seems we’ll never get out of the hotel.

Off The Streets was a blessing to me and my son. They are life savers. I thought we would never get out of the hotel and have a normal life. I am in tears as I am writing this, thank you so much Off The Streets. God Bless! Sincerely, Milisa”

Milisa, from all of us at OTS, we wish you and your son the very best in your new home.

This family brings our placements this year to 111 and our grand total to 421 since we starting housing the homeless 3 years ago. Read the story of every person we’ve placed at otshb.com/placements

Today we congratulate Lekeisha and her daughter for ending their homeless situation by getting into their own rental. We were happy to build a budget with her and then pay her security deposit after she found a rental she could afford. Read Lakeisha’s story of struggling to keep her and her daughter sheltered for the last 4 months:

Hello, My name is Lakeisha and would like to be considered for assistance. Myself and my 10 year old daughter has been homeless since February of this year, 2017. We became homeless because of our previous landlord rent increased outside of my affordability, it was either pay the new proposed rent or stay and eventually get an eviction. I chose to move to prevent further problems down the road. Me and my daughter don’t have any family or a support system in Orange county or period for that matter. We don’t know anybody that would allow us to stay with them, so we are forced to utilize shelters which my daughter is petrified of; so we result to sleeping in our car. We have been sleeping in our car most of the time and when I have funds we are able to get a hotel room sometimes. Because my daughter just got on summer vacation, we did stay close to her school if we slept on our car or got a hotel room. I am seeking assistance to help ensure I secure permanent housing because I have limited to no resources to accommodate the move. It has been an uphill battle trying to find safe places to sleep at night with my daughter and at the same time work and find a permanent place to live. I have now found a rental and now I need assistance with security deposit and household needs. I need your assistance because I don’t have the means to afford the moving fees and/or the household essentials. Even though I have a section 8 voucher, it’s nearly impossible for me to obtain a permanent residence because of the cost to move-in. It would be greatly appreciated if I could get some assistance from OTS. Thank you

Lekeisha, from all of us at OTS, we wish you the best in your new home and look forward to providing you furniture and household goods to get you started in your new home!

This family brings our placements this year to 109 and our grand total placements since we started 3 years ago to 419.

Today we congratulate Leanne’s family of 6 for getting out of their homeless situation and into their own rental. Read their story here:

Hi my name is Leanne. I have been residing at my address for the past eight years. I had recently asked my landlord to do a couple repairs around the place. Well she said she was going to go ahead and fix things but then about two months later we had a turn for the worst. We received a letter at 10:30pm by some random man that said we had to vacate the premises so they could sell. I had no way to get a deposit to move. I have no way to get a security deposit to find a new place so I’m going to be stuck staying with friends for now. We have to split up to stay with people because nobody wants all 6 of us. If I can’t get into a place within a certain amount of time they will take me off my housing voucher then I won’t have anything. I have no family to help me and no way to find security deposit. I heard about off the streets so I called to find out information. They helped me through the steps and helped me get my security deposit. Thank you off the streets.

Leanne and family, congratulations from all of us at Off The Streets!

This family brings our placements this year to 107 and our grand total to 417 since we started housing the homeless in 2014.

At OTS we are very fortunate to have as one of our volunteers a retired sociology professor who helps us write grants. He recently went through all 400+ of our case files to compile placement demographics and statistics that we need for grant applications. We wanted to share this incredible feedback he had for the OTS team:

I finally got through all the 400+ cases and put this excel file together. It made me feel like a sociologist again trying to search out useful information from the documents used for carrying out the day-to-day operations of OTS. Speaking of operations, an overwhelming feeling that struck me across the cases was the dedication, knowledge, skill, discipline, and HEART that our tireless leadership show. OTS should be very proud of what they have done and are continuing to do. The dedication is so obvious in the spirit of coming back every day to try to help those who generally have so little luck in life and rarely find things going their way. In looking at cases, I saw the way that knowledge is offered, especially our financial counselors’, of how to navigate the housing system and the avenues to pursue to be able to manage on a typically very tight budget. Tremendous skill is shown in the way our folks interview and pin down essential details in order to know how to move forward. The intake process is a smooth-running machine, from my vantage point. A good part of this is the discipline to stick to a process that produces such great results…and insisting on the client following it as it will work for them in the end. Many bad outcomes are avoided by having that discipline. Last, there is the HEART of allowing a little extra money to go toward the deposit of someone so clearly both deserving and needing a break in life, overlooking the fact that a client lives in LA county, racing across OC to meet a client or deliver a security deposit, or encouraging a client to work later…when things change in their situation…with OTS so that we can provide them all the help we offer. Very impressive!!!
-John

Today we congratulate Ruth and her 4 kids for ending their homeless situation. Ruth experienced a financial hardship after trying to care for her mother’s medical condition. They have been living in hotels for the last 2 months, which has depleted any savings Ruth had. We were able to help this family by paying their security deposit so they could move in. Since they have no household goods, we will soon be providing them with beds, dressers, tables, and a couch so they can have a fresh start. Read her story here:

In December 2016 my mother suffered a heart attack. So I packed up myself and my children and drove to another state to care for her. While there it was impossible to secure housing in my budget close enough to care for her, I did the best I could and she has made a full recovery. So myself and my children moved back to the desert. We stay in motels for nearly two months. All my funds have been used up living day to day. My income is very limited. I would really appreciate the help. I just want to give my children back a stable home. So they once again can feel safe and secure. Thank you, Ruth

Ruth, from all of us at OTS, congratulations on getting back into your own home!

This family brings our placements this year to 101 and our grand total placements since we started 3 years ago to 411.

Today we congratulate Crishanda’s family for getting into their own rental today. They were travelling back and forth from out of state to help family members who were having health problems, so to avoid all the travelling they moved here with the understanding that they would be able to stay with family. Much to their surprise and disappointment, the family they were staying with and actually helping asked them to leave in April. They had nowhere to go, so they have been staying in their car. With their low income status they were fortunate enough to get a section 8 housing voucher and asked for our help with the security deposit to be able to move in.

This family brings our placements this year to 96 and our grand total to 406.

Today we congratulate Kimberly for ending her homeless situation and getting into a home of her own. Kimberly has been homeless off and on over the last 4 years living in shelters, her car, and couch hopping when possible. We will soon be providing furniture to give her a new start in her apartment. Read her story here:

Dear OTS,
I lost my section 8 voucher in March 2013. I then spent all of my money on hotels and ended up living in my car off and on for the past four years. Up till May 3 I have only had to spend the night in my car 9 days out of the month due to my friend allowing me to sleep on her couch while looking for a place to live. I have been in and out of transitional shelters the whole time and to leave the last shelter because of bed bug infestation. Basically I have been homeless 8 times in years and 10 times in 4 years. My immediate need is to get a safe place to live with a roof over my head. I was approved yesterday for a 1 bedroom and I can afford it but need help paying the deposit. It’s been rough losing my home and being in/ out of transitional homes and I have abided by their rules but now this has taken a toll on me. I need my own home. Please help me and you already have my approved Budget.
Thank you, Kimberly

Kimberly, from all of us at OTS, Congratulations on your new home!

Kimberly is the 92nd person we’ve placed this year, and the 402nd since our startup in June of 2014.

Today we congratulate Alice and her 4 kids for ending 7 years of homelessness. From couch hopping, to living on the street, to living in shelters, this single mom and her kids have been through a lot. We built a budget with Alice and she was so happy to find a place she could afford, so we were happy to pay their security deposit so they could move in today. Alice told us today she needs everything – furniture and household goods – so we will soon be providing her all of that to give her a new start in life. To read a detailed account of the downward spiral of homelessness, read Alice’s story here:

Hello my name is Alice i’m a single mom raising 4 children three boys and a daughter. We have had a rough road these children have been through a lot, these last 7 years. The last 7 years we have been homeless. Only a few of my closest friends know about i lost my house in 2012. Since then we have moved around so many times. we ended up at a rescue mission among 100’s of other families that were homeless out there. My kids went to a homeless school for children who were homeless. It gave the children who felt alone and as an outcast as being homeless some hope & something to smile about again a promising future. But the shelter was only for a short time it was only a night shelter somewhere to have dinner at and get a nights of rest. Families there are thrown in together with mental illness everywhere. Their check in was 5 pm, you ate at 7pm then showered went to bed. We were there a few months and i desperately tried to get a job being a night time shelter and being homeless no child care was provided. and i was among strangers so i had to be with them all the time to protect them from strangers who were in the same situation we were.

The shelter had all who were staying there leaving at 5am in the morning not knowing where to go. We followed everyone, some stayed on the trolleys some stayed in the libraries, some went to the park, some of us parents stayed in packs , some of us tried to rent a storage unit so our children can get some more sleep. They were exhausted. Before we did that we carried our personal belongings up and down the streets always afraid of not knowing where our food would come from or our nights rest would be. My hungry kids saying there stomach was hurting i cried on the inside i was torn i couldn’t believe i was going through this with my children, the pain is unexplainable. it hurts so deep. we went to several other shelters they were filled up so quickly that we were on the sidewalk and hugging each other to stay warm i took my coat off to cover them.

A police officer from an outreach team asked us do we have a place to sleep i told him no so this outreach homeless team picked us up took us to a motel paid our bill for the night. i couldn’t thank him enough he saw my tears. my kids knocked out that night all nice and warm to look at your children going through this is heartbreaking i’m shattered in a million pieces i told that officer thank you so many times i know he knew my heart break going through this, while the kids were sleeping i was able to make phone calls got some resources applied all them got into another shelter called ywca they were amazing all my children really got attached to the staff there and started making new friends, once again but again this was a short stay couldn’t get into transitional housing the line was too long then before we were to leave there we tried to get into a shelter again the list was long everyday you show up asking if your number showed up..

It was pointless to make friends and what i didn’t realize was that everywhere we have lived we were always living in a cramped room kids got use to being in a room they forgot there was more to the houses and apartments we lived in they never came out they just stayed in there it’s all they wanted to do was stay in there, we got another invitation were a friend of mine i knew for over 30 plus years and his wife asked us to come live with them. they are a christian family.. all who are living in this house go to church i was so happy to hear that our lives started changing here in living with my friend and his family we have accomplished so much not only was our faith restored my family started to heal.

i found employment. i was able to fix my credit score pay off my debts. I still need the help with security deposit. anxiety is sitting in again because we haven’t been this close to getting into our new place for 7 years and with a signed rental lease, & keys almost in our hands a brand new beginning for us for something like this to happen was my worst nightmare i need help and i found off the streets from the 211 riverside they have been so much help. my job is wonderful they have called me non stop even though i only took those few days off it felt nice that people cared at work. i have some great friendships there my job is union job with great opportunities please help us close this chapters of a very long Journey to a brand new beginning thank you for all you have done for us. God Bless You

Alice & family

*****

Alice and Family – from all of us at OTS-HB, we are so happy for you and wish you the very best!

This family brings our placement this year to 91 and our grand total since we started 3 years ago to 401.

Today we congratulate Jessica and her 2 boys for ending their homeless situation by getting into their own home. They have been without their own place since November 2016 when they got evicted by their landlord and they had nowhere to go. They have been staying in motels and couch hopping when they could. We built a budget with Jessica and she was able to find a rental that fit this budget so we were happy to pay her security deposit so they could move in. We will soon be providing this family with much needed furniture and household goods. Read more of Jessica’s story and a very nice note of thanks from her new landlord here:

Dear OTS:
The reason I became homeless was because I was being a nice neighbor and allowed them to put their stuff on my porch and my landlord did not approve of it so they asked me to leave. The reason I need your help is because I have two boys that I’m trying to make sure has a roof over their heads so their not on the street or gets taken away from me. I started staying with a friend then she lost her place so I went and stayed in a motel then my worker helped me pay for two weeks and I been for room on my own and now I have no more money for a room and right now we are going from place to place. I used all my income to pay for my motel rent so my kids wouldn’t be on the streets. Jessica

And we also received this very nice note from her new Landlord, Jose:
Dear OTS, i commend the work and the effort your organization makes to help people get on their feet and off the streets. i, like you, give people chances so they can have a roof over their heads. i do have units available from time to time, so if any of your clients are ever in need of one in the this area, let me know. i will make the process simpler with your auspice. thank you again,Jose

Jessica, from all of us at OTS, congratulations on your new home!

This family brings our total placements this year to 86, and our grand total since we started in 2014 to 396.

Today we congratulate Melissa and her daughter for ending their homeless situation by getting into a home of their own. They have been homeless since January, living in weekly hotels and as a result falling behind financially. We were happy to help them with the security deposit and we will soon be providing them furniture and household goods. Read more of their story here:

Here why I am asking for help and how I got in this situation. I am seeking the security deposit help. I work full-time but my kids father was deported and he as 50% of my income. I was unable to pay for our place and am currently living in a hotel with my daughter. I would really like help with budgeting and learning how to afford living. In October 2016 my daughters father was deported, he was 50% of my income and when he was deported everything fell apart. And bills were coming up on me so fast, I had taken a payday loan out and paid it off, then took another and got into that cycle. Eventually we lost our housing because I couldn’t keep up, it was too much money for what I made. Now we are staying in a weekly hotel and I can’t catch up enough to save any money. I’m getting behind on the weekly rent now. We have been living in hotels since January and it is extremely unstable for my daughter and myself, paying weekly almost the same as my apartment that I lost…we are struggling to just live. I need a budget laid out for me so I can see what I can afford and not get into anything over my income and over my head. I want to get back on my feet and I want my daughter to have a home. Thank You!

Melissa, from all of us at OTS, Congratulations on your new home!

This family brings our brings our placements this year to 83 and our grand total to 393 since we started housing the homeless in 2014.

Today we congratulate ‘Evy’ (privacy protected) and her 4 kids for getting out of their homeless situation. This single Mom and her kids have been homeless for the last 2 months, living in motels and couch hopping, looking to better their lives. Evy finally found a rental that fit the budget we built with her and we were happy to pay their security deposit so they could move in. We will soon be providing them much needed furniture and household goods to give them a fresh start in their new home. Read Evy’s story below:

Dear OTS,I have been in a very bad abusive marriage for almost 20 years. I never was able to afford to move out in my own with my kids but i finally had the courage to leave. So on april 7 of this year i packed my kids and my bags and we left. We stayed in a motel for couple of weeks and then i have been staying with a friend since then trying to find a place in my budget which hasn’t been easy. I have a good job and just needed that little bit of help. I always wanted to move back to the town where my family and old friends live. I know my kids will have a better life here. I have a job and can pay my rent i just need help with a deposit to move in.Thank you for your help. ‘Evy’.

Evy, from all of us at OTS-HB, we wish you and your kids the very best in your new home!

This family brings our placements this year to 81 and our grand total since we started in 2014 to 391.

Today we congratulate Tia and her 3 kids for getting into their own home. After leaving her last apartment to avoid an eviction, this single Mom and her kids have been sleeping in their car, a shelter, and couch hopping to stay sheltered. Read her story below:

Dear OTS,Currently, I am homeless and just got approved for an apartment. I became homeless on March 5th after my husband and I split. He left me with our three children and a large rent payment. I was laid off from my job which resulted in me losing my apartment because the rent was too high and I could no longer afford it. The landlord gave me the option of turning in my keys to avoid an eviction on my record so I had to turn them in. From there I had to stay in my car several nights with my 3 children, a homeless shelter and with family on their couch. I have three children at 7 months, four years old and eight years old. I need assistance with coming up with my security deposit for my move-in cost. I got approved for an apartment and need help with the move in cost.Thank you, Tia

Tia and her 3 kids bring our total placements this year to 76 and our grand total to 386 since we started our charity in 2014.

Today we congratulate ‘Sara’ (identity protected) and her 3 kids for ending their homeless situation by getting into their own apartment. Sara fled domestic abuse and ended up homeless for the last 6 weeks with her kids. Read her story below:

Dear OTS,

I’ll try to make a very hard, stressful, and long story short. I’m 33 years old and I am surviving at this time with my 3 children, homeless. I left my marriage because of domestic violence and moved In with family. I was living with my cousin, her fiance and two kids. While I was living there I applied for a low income apartment. After struggling for so long we had a move in date but my cousin’s husband lost his job and was upset about me moving quickly and unexpectedly because they depending on my rent. When the apartment was offered to me, and was processing quickly she got upset, and didn’t accept my month’s rent asking me and the kids to leave that day. Because of that I’ve depleted all my funds for deposit. I’ve been sleeping in my car and occasionally in hotels. My finances and savings have dwindled trying to survive the last several weeks now I don’t have money to move into an apartment. I’m so close to my kids trying to keep us together and happy has been a struggle. We are desperate for stability and a home we can call our own!

Thank you,‘Sara’

This family brings our placements this year to 72 and our grand total to 382.

A big congratulations to ‘Joyce’ (identity protected) & her young son for getting into their own home today after being homeless for the last 5 months, living with friends, with fellow church members, and most recently in a shelter. Read their compelling story below:

Dear OTS,

I was married to a man who psychologically, emotionally and financially abused me. All of which I struggled with but he told me it was my fault “if only I had done something anything different then he would not have to treat me this way.” On our wedding anniversary he become so angry he punched me in the face. A week later he choked me to the floor and made me apologize for being a “bad girl”. Of course afraid I did apologize and asked him to apologize to me for beating me with his belt and choking me. To which he firmly replied saying No! that he had done nothing wrong.

I begged him to change, I cried and begged him to not make me check into a shelter, he adamantly told me to “do whatever I had to do,” He was never going to change. Feeling like a failure I checked into a shelter completely broken but courageous for my son and for the man he would be someday! My greatest fear was that he would grow up and choke his wife to the ground. I do not want that to be his “normal.”

What was once a source of shame is now a source of pride. During my time at the shelter I went through individual counseling as well as group counseling. I participated in weekly, sometimes daily bible studies. Iread books to educate me about domestic violence, single parenting and Christian parenting. I watched several DVD’s on the same subjects and went back to college. I earned a certificate in in sports medicine as well as medical assisting.

Since leaving the shelter, it has been so hard to find permanent housing. We have moved 3 times in the last 5 months. I drive around with my food pantry in the trunk of my car. All this change has been so hard on my son’s childlike mind. For the first time ever he is asking if people don’t love him anymore and tells me he wants to go back “home”. All he has really known is the shelter and that is the safe “home” he longs for. I encourage him to trust in God and we pray together for our new home. I also reassure him that as long and we are together we are home.

Now I am working full time, committed to myself, my son and my church. I am so proud of the happiness that fills my son; it is a happiness he would have never known had I not left his father. It is difficult for me to be a single parent, but I know now it is nowhere as hard as it could have been had I not left. More importantly I know that I have a God that loves me and who will provide for us a way through the wilderness. In our new home I hope to give my son stability, safety and a place to grow confidently into to the boy God has designed him to be. I need help to get us in the studio apartment and a table to do homework on and enjoy family meals on together.

Thank You, ‘Joyce’

This single Mom and her son bring our total placements this year to 68 and our grand total since we started in 2014 up to 378.

Join us in congratulating Janette & her 2 boys for getting into their own rental today. They became homeless in January due to an interruption in their income but are now back on their feet. Read her story below:

Hi my name is Janette I’m 41 year old single mom of two great son’s, ages 19 and 8. I’ve had a bit of a struggle the last few years but I November 2016 is when I started having a problem paying my rent due to my son’s SSI stopping. Now I lost my husband in 09′ he passed and since then I’ve had a rough time but my son was receiving survivor benefits and he also has a learning disability in which he also receives benefits monthly for himself. He is a great kid despite all the hard situations he had to deal with as a kid , losing his father especially, but he’s always been a good student and he graduated high school in June 2016 and it was a very happy day for us. He is enrolled in a program called CaPromise which assists him with job searching and schooling needs, he is also enrolled with the Department of Rehabilitation which is a great help also. His SSI should not have been stopped due to him being enrolled in these 2 programs, it was over looked and our benefits were discontinued. After appealing and numerous appointments we are now waiting on his benefits to begin again which could be a while, so due the them stopping the SSI I had to move out of my old townhome and strangely as soon as I did that I received paperwork from the housing authority and I was excited. It’s been hard finding a place but I finally did, I work part time at Tuesday morning in and have my little son who is in the 3rd grade. We need a little help with our move in costs because I didn’t think we would still be waiting on the SSI to pay my son. I have been staying wherever I can cousin’s friend’s and motels when I have extra money, which isn’t too often. At the moment a good friend of mine mom is letting us stay with her till my move in date. Housing authority had a program that was suppose to help with my move in deposit but for some reason they tell me they aren’t doing that anymore. I know there are a lot of families in need but I just really need this help to get myself and my boys into a safe home. We will be directly living across from the college where my son wants to take his art classes, he’s a fantastic artist and I feel like me in this situation is putting his dreams on hold which really bothers me. So I appreciate any help I can get right now I’m not one to ask for help usually so this has been very difficult for me. I’m anxious to hear from you and hoping you will be able to assist me. Thank you very much Janette

This family brings our placements this year to 66 and our grand total to 376 since we started in 2014.

Please join us in congratulating ‘Fran’ (identity protected) and her 2 kids for escaping their homeless situation by getting into an their own apartment today. Due to domestic violence they have been homeless since 2015. We were happy to lend a hand up by helping ‘Fran’ with the security deposit so they could move in. Read her story below:

I am single Mom of 2 kids homeless due to a domestic violence incident between me and my ex of nine years. But after losing everything to my abuser who was controlling, and had a drug abuse addiction, I finally started finding strength in Christ to reach out for help and come out about the abuse, I finally started finding strength to let go and fight back against domestic violence and got the support and help I needed by moving away and on with my life Starting over here at the women’s shelter has been life changing I’m now working, I have my own place, just needing help getting on my feet. I. I was just approved to move into my new apartment and am starting a new caregiver job. I won’t get my my first paycheck for a few weeks so I am in need of your help to assist in with my security deposit. I just need this one time help as a jump start.
– ‘Fran’

This family brings our placements this year to 63 and our grand total since our startup in 2014 to 373.

Please join us today in congratulating ‘Felicia’ (not her real name as she asked to remain private) & her 4 daughters for ending their homeless situation by getting into a rental of their own. After her husband left they lost their apartment & have been couch hopping, occasionally living in their vehicle until it was repossessed, & living in hotels. ‘Felicia’ contacted us earlier this year asking for help. We built a budget with her & she was able to find a rental that she could afford. We were happy to pay her security deposit so they could move in. This family brings our placements this year to 60 & our grand total to 370 since we started in 2014.

Today we congratulate Raven and her 3 kids for getting into their own rental. After her kids’ father left, she was evicted from their house and they have been couch hopping for the last 5 months at a relative’s very small house, which isn’t big enough for her family of 4. In fact, some of them have had to sleep on the floor due to lack of space. Raven has a job and based on the budget we built with her she has enough to pay rent, but she just needed our help with the security deposit to get housed. Since this family is starting all over, we will also be providing them essential household good from our warehouse.

Raven, from all of us at OTSHB.COM we wish you the very best in your new home!

This family brings the total people we’ve placed this year to 55 and our grand total since we started 3 years ago to 365.

Today we congratulate Norma & her daughter Danyielle for ending their homeless situation. We were happy build a budget with them and then pay their security deposit after they found a rental they could afford. Due to a foreclosure they have been homeless in various parts of Orange County since 2011 jumping between motels, armories, couch hopping, and women’s shelters, and most recently in their car. Danyielle recently got a job and that income combined with Norma’s SSI income allows them to afford their new rental – they just needed help with the deposit. We will soon be providing them essential furniture to turn their rental into a real home.

This year we have placed 51 people and since our startup in 2014 we have placed a total of 361 people.

Today we congratulate “Tori” (she asked that we protect her privacy), her 3 kids, and her mother for getting out of their homeless situation and into a home of their own. They have been without a home of their own for over a year. Read her story below:

My husband and I met in the early 1990’s and had our own business in Orange County. We had 3 kids together and lived an upper middle class lifestyle. We divorced in early 2008 and not unlike many other families, we lost everything.The kids didn’t just lose their dad and their family home where they were born, but EVERYTHING including their health and childhood. It is 2017 and we have been living in a motel due to the credit issues that plague a divorce. We never received appropriate child support either and lost our home of over 20 years. My kids wonder if we will be able to scrape up enough for the nights rate to stay at the motel. Incidentally, motels are quite expensive, but if you don’t have family to turn to and your friends turn away in silence, you really have no other choice. My mother is also with us due to her ongoing health issues. We needed funds for the security deposit to finally move into a rental and found this great organization to help us. Thank you! “Tori”

Tori, from all of us at OTS, we wish you and your family the very best in your new home.

This family brings our placements this year to 49 and our grand total to 359 since our startup in June of 2014.

Today we congratulate Tammy and her 2 kids for getting off the street (they were living in their truck) and into a rental of their own. We built a budget with Tammy and when she found a rental within her means, we helped with the deposit so she and her kids could move in. We will soon be providing this single mom all the furniture and household goods they need to turn their empty rental into a home of their own. Read Tammy’s story in her own words below:

Hi my name is Tammy. I became homeless because the condo i lived in for 9 years was sold and new owners were going to live in it themselves. I have been looking for a apartment since October 2016 but have been unsuccessful finding a place that would accept section 8. So when January 9 2017 (move out date) came along i had no place to go. I dont have any family and all my friends moved out of orange county. So i have nobody who could help me. So my children and i have been sleeping in my truck since 1-9-17. Then i finally found a place earlier this month but the owner wanted huge deposit because my credit isn’t perfect. I had no choice but to take this apartment because my housing voucher expired this month. Now the obstacle i have to overcome is finding help to pay the down deposit. I dont have a job at the moment so any help i receive will be most welcomed. Thank you kindly for considering to help me and my children.
God Bless

Tammy, from all of us at OTS we wish you the best and congratulate you for getting into a home of your own.

This family brings our placements this year to 44 and our grand total since starting just under 3 years ago to 354.

A big congratulations go to Cornell, Courtney and their son today for getting into their own home, ending nearly 6 months of being homeless. We were happy to build a budget with them and then help them with their security deposit after they found a rental that met their budget.

My name is Courtney and I am contacting you seeking your assistance. My family and I have been homeless and living in our car since October of 2016. We had to relocate suddenly due to the new diagnosis of my son’s medical condition. We were living in another location but there were no organizations that could meet the special needs for my son. Our new location has a special school for the deaf and hard of hearing that offered my son schooling at his young age of 2 years old. So we dropped everything and made arrangements with a low income based housing complex that told us they had a unit available for us ready to move in. Unfortunately they misinformed us and we were left with no place to live and no jobs.

It was by the grace of God that my husband found a good paying job and we were granted benefits for my son. I searched for some assistance using 211 and they gave me your organizations information. I spoke to a young lady who was so helpful and courteous. It was so refreshing to speak to a sincere person who really wanted to help me. The budget makes so much sense and I have made serious changes in order to stick to it and Never be homeless again. After much research, and rejection, we finally found a place that is willing to give us a chance. The deposit is high due to our very low credit scores. We will have our first month’s rent ready for move-in but we are in dire need of your assistance to finally secure our home. Please consider us for the deposit assistance.

We’ve been living in our car parking it on the street and bathing at a friends house when she doesn’t have to work mornings. There are extra parking spaces outside the gate of my mom’s apartment building. Due to the restrictions of her lease and the lack of space and food she didn’t want to risk losing her voucher to house us but we are allowed to utilize her apartments gated free parking spots when there is one available. Crazy enough we sometimes would park in the future resident parking and now we are almost residents. Isn’t God amazing?! I believe the Word of God that says, “Call those things that be not as though they were”. I would have never thought those words would become true until one day I decided to step out on faith and just apply. Now we’re approved! It’s still so unreal to me. I feel so close to the end of this storm, I can feel it. Our last hurdle is this deposit, we can’t do it on our own. We have no other resource to turn to. Please help us with our portion or whatever is doable for Off The Street.
Thank you, Courtney

Courtney and Cornell – congratulations from all of us at OTS!

This family brings our placements this year to 41 and our grand total to 351 since we started our charity just under 3 years ago.

Today we congratulate Rebekka and her 2 sons for getting into a home of their own after being without their own place for a year. We have been working with Rebekka since last October. We built a budget with her and she was able to find an affordable rental the fit this budget. We were happy to help her get in by paying the deposit. Read Rebekka’s story below:

Around this time last year i lost everything, my job, my new car and my place due to problems with my son’s father. I was able to move in a room at my friend’s house with my 2 boys i was barley making any money off cash aid, there where time’s i went hungry so my son’s could eat. 4 months of looking for a job i was still unemployed and the father of my son’s was in jail so i received no help from him. It was extremely hard, finally i got a chance and was able to get a very good job by a medical office. I was able to afford a car off craigslist and live with my grandmother for a couple of months which was closer to work which helped but my son’s and i where still very tight in a small room yet again. I finally found an apartment which fit in my budget and was a good distance from work and my son’s schools but i still couldn’t save enough to afford to move in to my own place, so i started to look for assistance for security deposits then i found OTSHB and they where so sweet and helpful! and now im able to move from a tiny room into my own place with my boys finally after being a single mom for a year now i know there is hope that i can handle this thanks to OTS.
Rebekka

Rebekka, from all of us at OTS we wish you and your boys the very best in your new home!

This family brings our placements this year to 38 and our grand total over the last 3 years to 348.

Today we congratulate Jocelyne and her daughter for moving into a home of their own. Jocelyne has been struggling financially so we built a budget with her and helped her with her security deposit with a place that fit this budget so she and her daughter could get back on their feet and stay in the area where her daughters school.

My name is Jocelyne , I am a single mother to one 11 year-old daughter. She and I were forced to move from our previous address in July 2016 due to my previous landlord wanting to increase the rents higher than what section 8 would allow. Around that same time I was placed on workers Comp after being injured at work. This significantly reduced my immediate income. In the early of 2016, my ex husband I also divorced and my income drastically dropped from 2 incomes down to just one. Since my ex and I had no children in common he was not obligated to pay alimony or continue to help with the bills and I found myself in a deep financial hole. Struggling to keep the lights
and gas on. Staying with family was the next best move. I wanted to stay in the area so that my daughter who has a learning disability, can continue to be educated in an environment safe and normal to her. At the same time rents and security deposits skyrocketed making it almost impossible to find a suitable place for she and I to stay.I have found a place and hope to move soon, but I need help with the deposit since I have been unable to save any money due to paying off past and previous debts that include credit cards that I have payed off and closed and student loans that I have deferred again. Having assistance with my security deposit will allow me and my daughter the opportunity to start over and live full happy lives in our own home and close to her school. Thank you, Jocelyne

Jocelyne, all of us at OTS wish you the very best in your new home.

Jocelyne and her daughter bring our placements this year to 35 and our grand total to 345.

Today we congratulate Jason for getting into a rented room after being without a place of his own for the last several years. After building a budget with him we were happy to give him a hand up with his security deposit so he could move into a place that matched his budget. We will soon be providing him with furniture to furnish his new place. Jason and his landlord were great to work with.

Jason, from all of us at OTS we wish you the very best!

Jason is the 33rd person we’ve placed this year and the 343rd since our startup just under 3 years ago.

Today we congratulate Dana and Michael for getting into their own place. They are expecting a baby in August and just needed a hand up to get out of their situation where they were without a place of their own. We were able to assist with their security deposit so they could move in today. Dana’s story:

My fiance and I have been without our own place for about 2 years now. Which started with myself getting kicked out of my parents house, and then Mike out of his parents house. We had lived in hotels for a little bit in the beginning because we were working under the table for a moving company. Then we lost that job and were out of work for about a year. We went from friend to friends house slept at parks, lakes, schools etc. Then found out I was expecting and I got a job and he got a job we have a car now and with your help a place.

Dana and Michael, congratulations from all of us at OTSHB!

This couple brings our placements this year to 32 and our grand total to 342 since our startup just under 3 years ago.

Today we congratulate Jasmyne and her daughter for getting into their own rental. She was great to work with, was very responsive, and followed all the steps in our process to ensure she had a financial plan that would allow them to stay housed for the long term. Based on this good plan we were able to pay her security deposit so they could move in. Jasmyne is a Mom who really wants a better life for her daughter. Read her story below:

Dear OTS,
I never thought that I would be in this situation. I’m a young mother with a young daughter struggling to make ends meat. It started at my last rental. I just had my my daughter and recently started a new job. I was already struggling to pay my rent since I hadn’t worked in so long due to my high risk pregnancy. I thought everything was going to be good now since I just started working but it wasn’t. I was only making minimum wage which wasn’t enough to cover my rent. It was no way I could pay that by myself on my income. I had no choice but to leave before I was evicted. I tried to look for other places and seek the help of the welfare office but nothing or no one was helping. I started to crash with my daughter at different place sleeping on couches was not what I wanted for me and my daughter. We did this for November of 2015 still up till today. And it was tough since the place is so small. I was at my lowest. We literally lived out of out of a bin. We had no where to put our belongings. Just kept them away in a corner. And on top of that I was asked on the 31st of January to move. With no help from her dad or anyone. I was alone and sad. But I knew I had to do better for me and my daughter. I could no longer just have us sleeping on a sofa. I needed to make a change.I needed to give my child a home. So I went back to school, started saving, bought a small cheap car. I was determined to give her something she can call her own. But I still needed help. I knew I did not have enough to move out on my own. So I started to look for foundations that could assist me with my moving cost. Even if it was just a small amount. I know I could now afford to pay rent on my own monthly since I received a raise at work. But I would just need help with with paying the security deposit. Anything would help me in my time of need. With the help of Off the Streets I was able to make that happen. They showed support in so many ways for me. Now me and my daughter are moving into a place of our own and will no longer be sleeping on a sofa, but in a bedroom with a bed. I’m beyond happy, excited, and most of all Grateful for the help.
Jasmyne.

From all of us at OTS we wish you and your daughter the very best in your new home!

Jasmyne and her daughter bring our placements this year to 30 and our grand total since our start up just under 3 years ago to 340.

We congratulate Danielle and her son today for getting out of their homeless situation and into a rental of their own. They have been living in a shelter since last November. We built a budget with Danielle and she was able to find a rental that was within her budget. Read her story below:

My son and I are seeking assistance from OTS to obtain a roof over our heads. I have become homeless due to rising cost of living it’s a challenge to maintain housing on a fixed income. I could not afford the rent increase and had to vacate my apartment. I have been staying in a hotel between a hotel, occasionally with a friend, and most recently in a shelter. I don’t have a car so I rely on public transportation, which has been a hardship getting my son to and from school. Everyday when I awake I don’t look forward to whats the days going to bring. I feel like I’m being held captive, because I”m in a situation that I didn’t do anything wrong. I just want it to end, and be set free. Due to the urgency of my situation, not only do I not have an apartment, but I don’t have the funds for the security deposit. I’m in a tough situation and I need OTS to help. Thank you, Danielle

From all of us at OTS, we wish you and your son the very best in your new home!

Danielle and her son were the 28th person we’ve helped this year, and the 338th since our start up just under 3 years ago.

Today we congratulate Kathie for ending her homeless situation by getting into a rental of her own. Kathie has been working with us diligently since last September. She has been homeless for 8 years and most recently has been staying at a women’s shelter for over a year, sharing a room with 9 other women! We built a budget with her to determine the rent she could afford and then when she found a rental in that price range we were happy to help with the security deposit so she could move in. Read her story below:

Dear Huntington beach off the streets,
I am homeless because I lost my job and depression and anxiety set in. I was afraid to leave my house and isolated myself. In 2008 my home was foreclosed on and I had to move out. During the next 8 years I lived with friends occasionally and now I’m in a homeless shelter. I also had to live out of my car for a few months. I have since received mental health care, I am getting help with my life. But still due to only receiving a small amount of income a month, I can not afford the security deposit. It would mean so much to me to have my own apartment. Please help me receive the help I need for the security deposit. Thank for your consideration, Kathryn

Kathie is the 26th person we’ve placed this year and the 336th person we’ve helped since our start up just under 3 years ago.

Today we congratulate Karla and her 3 kids for getting into their own home today. Karla called us for help, we built a budget with her and then we were able to pay her security deposit so they could move in. Here is a nice thank you note from Karla:

Hello my name is Karla my children and I became homeless this past December due to my landlord selling his property and informing me that we had to move. Due to the short time of the move out date I had no money saved for a deposit on a new place for my children and I to move to. Thankfully I was referred to off the streets. They went over my finances and came up with a budget that helps me and my family get into a new home learning how to manage our money and put it where it needs to be. Thank you for your time. your help is greatly appreciated. My family and I wont be homeless..and I have you to thank for this. -Karla

Karla, from all of us at OTS we wish you and your kids the best.

This family brings our placements this year to 25 and our grand total to 335.

We congratulate “Sara” and her 2 daughters today for getting into their own rental after being in hotels for the last 2 weeks so they could get out of an unhealthy situation. “Sara” needed our help with the security deposit because the expense of living in hotels depleted her funds and she just got a new job. We will soon be providing this family furniture for their rental and we could really use your donations of more beds (twin, full, queen).

This family brings our placements this year to 21 and our grand total to 331 since our startup in 2014.

Today we congratulate Brianna, Michael and their son for getting into their first apartment today. We built a budget with them and they found a very affordable rental that fit within that budget. We were then able to pay their security deposit so they could move in.

My Husband and I have been without our own home on and off for a few years due employment and our son also was born 3 months premature and we also lost his twin. Our son has medical needs and expenses on weekly basis. We were renting a room for the last 4 months and unfortunately our soon to be 2 year old son and I were harassed by our ex landlord and so we had to leave. Since then we have been couch hopping to keep a roof over our heads. We got a call a few weeks ago from the apartment complex that we will now be moving into and so thanks to your wonderful organization we are able to rent our first apartment as a family and have a stable roof over our heads especially for our son.
Thank you OTSHB!

From all of us at OTSHB we congratulate you for getting into your own home!

This family brings our placements this year to 18 and our grand total to 328 since our startup in June of 2014.

Today we congratulate Alicia and her daughter for ending their situation of being without their own home and getting into a rental of their own. Alicia has been working diligently with us for the past 8 months to get housed. In fact, as she continued to try to get housed we updated her budget with her a few times until she was in a financial position to find a rental that would allow her to stay housed for the long term. Over that time and even prior to contacting us, she had been staying at shelters, motels, in her car, and with extended family when she could.

Alicia, we wish you the best in your new home!

This Mother and daughter bring our placements this year to 15 and our grand total to 325.

A big congratulations go to Daryl, Berniece, and their 3 kids today for getting into their own home today. They have been couch hopping with family and will now be together in their own home. We were happy to help them with a budget that determined the rent they could afford and with their security deposit so they could move in. We will soon be providing this family with much needed Furniture and Household Goods. Read Daryl’s story below.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN THIS IS OUR STORY! SO I HAVE TWO 13 YEAR OLD SONS AND A 8 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND MY WIFE. WE WERE LIVING IN LANCASTER,CA. MY SONS ENDED UP GETTING MIXED UP IN THE WRONG CROWD AND GETTING INTO SOME TROUBLE AND EVENTUALLY SENT TO BOYS CAMP. I FELT AS A FATHER IT WAS MY OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE A SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIROMENT FOR MY CHILDREN. SO I DECIDED THAT WHILE THEY WERE IN CAMP I WOULD UTILIZE THAT TIME TO “START OVER” AND GIVE THEM A NEW BETTER ENVIROMENT TO COME HOME TO. THEY HAVE A DATE TO COME HOME NEXT MONTH. NOW IM AFRAID THEY MAY NOT HAVE NO HOME TO COME TO. I DIDNT HAVE ANY MONEY SAVED BUT I CAME TO MY WIFES MOTHER HOUSE ON A WING AND A PRAYER WITH THE PROMISE WE WOULD ONLY BE THERE A MONTH OR SO! ITS BEEN 6! WE DO HAVE SECTION 8 SO THE RENT WOULD BE COVERED. WERE BOTH
LOOKING FOR JOBS OF COURSE.. IT WAS HARD TO FIND A PLACE WITHIN OUR VOUCHER AMOUNT BUT MY LOVELY WIFE DID IT! NOW IM AFRAID I MIGHT LOSE IT FOR LACK OF A SECURITY DEPOSIT. PLEASE HELP ME SAVE MY FAMILY…from Daryl

This family brings our placements this year to 13 and our grand total to 323.

Congratulations to Angela and her son for ending their homeless situation today. We built a budget with her and she was able to find a rental that fit this budget. We were happy to help them get housed by helping with the security deposit. Read her story below:

My story of becoming homeless. In November of 2016 I became homeless after battling cancer since being diagnosed in November 2013 and starting treatments in 2014. Since getting stronger on my feet I have been driving Uber and Lyft and Hopskipdrive as well as working with families and their children. We were supposed to be moving into a home in November when abruptly we had no place to go. My daughter decided at the last minute to move in with her boyfriend and the owners of the house would not just take myself and my son’s income. Needless to say I was devastated.

We have tried not to be a burden to anyone and only ask to hang out and shower once a week. Although there may seemingly be a rift in the family, I love my daughter dearly and she did what she thought she needed at the time. Since that faithful day, we have been spending way too much money eating out since we don’t have a place. I figured I battled cancer so this could not be so bad but the faithful night that someone tried to break into my car while I was sleeping in it gave rise to the fact that this is no way for me and my son to live.

You see I have sjogrens/lupus and rheumatoid arthritis as well as fibromyalgia. The pain from sleeping in my car has been atrocious. My son is autistic and has an anxiety disorder. Sometimes I will get a room just for him to relax a little. He works very hard because most autistic people get fixated on what they like and they do it well. He works at 2 different companies. His autism will have him working in the same field all of his life but he does well doing it. I have worked with children for 30 plus years and I am sometimes a nanny.

Our problem is this new day and age when people want so much for deposit. They want key fees and the like. It is such a problem when homeless and not being able to save any money because . It is just not so simple. I go to work with just a wash up from the sink in a Denny’s or whatever and it’s just not sanitary. My immune system is still compromised and this stress has become really unbearable.

Please help us. We need it. I will take whatever you can do. Just please help us. They are willing to drop the rent for us because of your guidelines but the security deposit they have decided has to be higher. We both have several jobs and can pay the rent. I know property management companies always change but its the fact that we need help with the deposit to keep us in the place.

Sincerely, Angela

This family is our 8th placement this year and our 318th since our start up in June 2014.

Today we are happy to help Kiesa and her 5 kids with their security deposit so they could get into permanent housing. It’s hard to imagine that this single Mom had no choice but to live in their vehicle! But no more – they are now in a home of their own! Read her story below.

To whom it may concern,
My family and I lived in Phoenix, Arizona for almost 4 years. Life was great, until hardship hit. The landlord of our 3 bedroom house decided that he did not want to comply with the rules of our Section8 program and fix the issues of his obligation. Section8 discontinued his contract leaving my children and I 60 days to find another place to live. I was unable to find a rental within the allotted amount of the voucher (due to my low income) that I was receiving. We lived pillar to post for a few months and still no house/apt nothing. All of our resources dried up in Arizona to the point where I made the choice to move back to my original home state here in California. I transferred my section8 voucher and applied for state benefits here in riverside county July 28, 2016. I was welcomed to move in with a friend for awhile but that was only temporary. My friends husband would not allow us to stay past 3 months; which didn’t give us enough time to get everything transferred, approved and to find a place to live. By November 1st of 2016 my children and I were officially living, sleeping and eating out of my 2000 ford truck. It was a scary situation not having any idea what would happen next or where we would go. Finally with lots of long suffering and perseverance I found a house willing to take our section8 voucher and they approved our application; however with my income being so low I didn’t know how I would pay the full rental deposit, in the time that they are asking. I searched high and low on every website and resource number until I found Off The Streets. I am grateful that I did and that someone out here is willing to help people like us.
Kiesa

This family of 6 is our very first placement in 2017! This brings our total placements since our start up 2.5 years ago to 316.

Today and we congratulate Janne and her son for getting out of their homeless situation by getting into a rental of their own. We were happy to help them with the security deposit. Janne has been working with us over the past 8 months since they lost their last rental, and has persisted through a few rentals that fell through. This Mom and son have stayed in a friend’s motor home, another friend’s garage and continued couch hopping with other friends just to keep temporarily housed. Read her story below:

I would like to thank the staff of OTS who contacted me right away. My name is Janne and I have a 15 year old son. We lost our place of nine years earlier this year. It makes me cry thinking about our notice to vacate. Since I vacated my place we (me/son) have been sleeping at friends houses or garages. I have finally found a nice rental and Housing will be inspecting the property as soon as the owner contacts housing. Losing my parents and not having family members, only me and my youngest son experiencing how difficult and depressing situation we encounter sleeping out. I thank God for people like Off The Streets Huntington Beach who is giving me the opportunity to move into my own place and also they will be helping me with furniture. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I have a peace of mind knowing I will be moving to my new place. God bless all of your staff.
Sincerely, Janne.

Janne, from all of us at OTSHB.COM we congratulate you and your son for persevering and getting into your own home today.

This family brings our total placements this year to 133 and our grand total to 310.

Today we congratulate Maya and her 2 daughters for ending their homeless situation and getting into a rental of their own. We built a budget with Maya to show her how much rent she could afford. She found a rental that met this budget and we were happy to help them get in by paying the security deposit. This single Mom and her 2 daughters will now get to spend Christmas in a home of their own. Read Maya’s story below:

Hi my name is Maya, I’m a single mom of 2 beautiful girls. My 7 year old daughter has high functioning autism. We also have her emotional support dog Poseidon. My older daughter is 18 she goes to school and works full time. And I myself who also works full-time. We were all living in a condo. At the beginning of October the owner sold it we had to move. With very little time to prepare or save for moving expenses. It left us with no place to go. The little money we had at the time went real quick having to pay for hotels and food. Since we didn’t have a spot to cook we had been eating a lot of fast food. In the beginning I was ashamed to ask for help. Then I realized I would have to. We began staying at friends homes and could start saving everything we could. Its now almost Christmas and a new year. It would be wonderful to be settled in a place of our own for the holidays and start the new year in a place that we could call home. Now almost 3 months later. We have found an apartment . It’s conveniently located to where my older daughter can continue to work at her job and doesn’t have to change schools . My younger daughter won’t have to change schools either. Between my older daughter and I we have the money to pay our rent and bills. Although not quite enough for the deposit. With a little bit of help I know that we would be ok and be able to make it on our own. As this has been very difficult on all of us as a family. All we can do is stay positive and pray that we will soon have a place to call home.

Maya and girls, congratulations and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. From all of us at OTS.

This family brings our total placements this year to 131 and our grand total to 308 since we started two and half years ago

Today we congratulate Chelsey, Steve and their baby boy for getting into their own apartment today. We built a budget with them and they were able to find a rental that they could afford. With such a young baby it will be great for this family to have a home of their own for the Holidays instead of having to stay at a hotel. Read their story below:

Hello my name is Chelsey I am a mother of a 6 month old baby boy. I worked all the way till I was 21 weeks pregnant with my son and wished to continue to do so but my water broke at 22 weeks. I ended up in the hospital for almost 3 mos, lost my car, I was on bed rest, lost my job, and lost my place I had at the time due to not working. It has been a very hard year for myself and my kids along with my partner Steve who is our biggest supporter. He stayed every day every night with me in the hospital and did not leave my side he found a job with the union within 2 weeks of us being checked into the hospital and has been there ever since. It is no where near what he does or has done but he is there to help support our family. After all that I ended up going full term and having a very healthy baby boy. When I brought my son home god was by our side and opened up a 2 bedroom apartment. We moved in and settled to not move again. Our landlord gave us a 30 days notice due to him wanting to remodel and move family in from out of town. We have been looking for another place but It has been very hard due to our credit between Steve and myself. I have a social worker who is going to be giving us a 18 day voucher for a hotel as of the 1st if we have not yet found something, I have been doing everything I can to avoid that for the sake of my baby boy. I am in contact with a home owner who is willing to rent to us regardless of our credit. This would be huge for my family and i if we got this opportunity with your help we could have a jump start to something new and forget about our losses. We do have enough money for the first months rent it would be a blessing for your help with the deposit. Now that our son is almost 7 mos I am going back to work in the dental field. I want to thank you for taking the time to look over my story as i can only pray for the best.
Thank you Chelsey and Steve

Chelsey and Steve, from all of us at OTS, we wish you the very best in your new home.

This family brings our placements this year to 128 and our grand total since we started just over 2 years ago to 305.

We congratulate Jon, Jackie and their 2 kids today for ending their homeless situation. Jon was so proactive and great to work with — he is a father who earnestly wants to make things better for his family! We were happy to build a budget with them and then help with their security deposit so they could move into their own apartment today: Read their story below:

Dear OTS,
Our story started back in March 2016 when my wife Jackie started working. Jackie was on disability for along time due to medical conditions. Her doctors said it was time to return to work so she accepted temp work to have something. I have been a caretaker for our son for two years. In May Jackie’s disability insurance benefits stopped completely. This was due to her income going over the maximum allowed for disability. Jackie has also had a sec 8 voucher for 15 years. Our problem started when the disability payments stopped. During that time our apartment owner decided not to accept sec 8 vouchers for rent payments. We tried desperately to locate a place and applied for several locations with no luck. On June 30th we left our apartment leaving behind our furniture, refrigerator, beds and tv just packing up our personal belongings and putting them in storage. Fortunately, my mother in law said we could stay with her. Since Jackie and my daughter were working in Orange County Jackie’s cousin said they could stay with her in Anaheim. Our family became split up and I’ve had our son at my Mother in Laws apartment. Through all of this stress my wife Jackie became very sick and on August 12th, her boss at work called the paramedics because Jackie couldn’t breath on her own. She was taken to the emergency room where she was diagnosed with an acute attack of asthma, pneumonia and infection. She stayed in ICU for 4 weeks on a ventilator then was transferred to another hospital. She has since then really received great care and rehab. As of yesterday her trachea tube was taken out and she continues to recover. Since she was in ICU, I was able to extend our sec 8 voucher to find an apartment. Several trips to Social Services were made and I was able to get some cash aid. Our daughter found your website early on and I set it aside in my head. Also, I was able to get on the Welfare to Work program and take advantage of all services offered by the state. I just finished testing to determine my skills and I scored pretty high. I have an appointment with my case Manager to move forward in job interviewing and placement soon. Also, since all of this I’ve taken our son to be tested for Autism and his results are moderate. Our daughter is a full time student in college. We’re in great need to start a new life together as a family again. I want the kids to have a large room and me and my wife to have a smaller room. I have found an apartment and I want to move forward with your help in the deposit, furniture and beds for us. I truly believe that this situation won’t ever happen again to my family because I realize the value of planning ahead for emergencies. The work you do for people in need is tremendous and to get back in life’s basic necessities is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely, Jon

From all of us at OTS, we congratulate you for getting into your own apartment today.

This family brings our total placements this year to 125 people and the grand total since we started just over 2 years ago to 302 people.

Congratulations go to Sheila, her daughter, and her granddaughter for getting into their own apartment today. This family just needed a hand up and by pooling their resources were able to get a place together. Read their story as written by Sheila’s daughter:

Twenty five long years had passed without connection or contact with my birth mother. She had not known where I was and I knew nothing of where she was, in fact, I was told she had passed away. My dad moved me away at the age of two, relocating me from California to his birth place, Chicago Illinois. After years of searching and nothing turning up, I was on the verge of giving up, just when a social media site called Facebook, ended the disconnection. Now 28 years old with a 7 year old daughter of my own, I wanted nothing more than to gain all of the years I had lost with the woman who gave birth to me. After getting to know each other, I came to the realization that she needed me just as much as I needed her. She was experiencing medical issues mentally and physically that required help around the clock. I made up in my mind that I would not lose her a second time, and decided to move myself and my daughter to California where she was to be there to help as much as possible. I got to California thinking that it would be a smooth transition, put my daughter into school and started looking for work, only to find out that the housing property she was living at would not allow me nor my daughter on her lease due to an eviction I knew nothing about back in Chicago. It has forced me to become homeless and move my daughter around from place to place so that she wouldn’t have to experience homelessness the way I am. I tried every housing resource given to me, only to be turned away because I hadn’t been homeless long enough or my daughter was over the age limit for help. This left me feeling discouraged and lost, worrying about being there for my mother and my daughter. I didn’t know where to turn. Then my mom mentioned your program and we decided to look into it, thank God we did. We were able to find a property that would accept my credit background and rent to us. Now we are faced with providing a deposit, which neither one of us can afford right now. It would mean a lot to us if you would help. We are in serious need of help so that we can stay together as a consideration and we hope that you can help in any way possible.

Sheila and family – we wish you the very best in your new home and we wish you a Very Merry Christmas together!

This family brings our placements this year to 121 and our grand total to 298 since we started in 2014.

Today we congratulate Camille for getting into her own place today which will allow her to reunite with her daughter. We built a budget with Camille and then helped her with her security deposit after she found a rental she could afford. The great news is that this Mother and daughter will be together for Christmas in their own apartment. Read her story below:

Hi, My name is Camille. I recently moved to LA from Texas with my 5 year old daughter to reunite with my biological mother. Within the first week I realized we had made a horrible mistake (she’s on drugs) and my daughter and I were left homeless. I still managed to obtain a job, a car and childcare for my daughter in spite of the hardships we faced. We have slept in shelters, on floors of stranger’s home and mostly in my car when we couldn’t find a place for the night. I have had to wait to live and work here in LA for 6 months before being approved for an apartment and right when I finally made 6 months of working, my daughter was taken from me by DCFS and I can’t get her back because I’m homeless. I have been searching for a place since the end of August and everything keeps getting rented before I can get there or I don’t qualify because I don’t have enough “established credit” or the place is just too expensive. I have finally centered on a place and am currently waiting to hear from them regarding approval. I had saved up money, but with paying for random rooms, paying someone to sleep or shower, paying for repairs on my car and paying for gas to drive all over the city searching for a place, I cannot afford at all the total move in cost. The DHHS was going to pay for my deposit since we were on their homeless program, but now that they have found out that my daughter was taken, they have removed us from the program. My car is paid for and the only other bills I have are cell phone, insurance and food/gas. Any help, referral, assistance ANYTHING will be a blessing to us. I just need a break. I’m hanging onto everything by a thread due to the ignificant amount of stress I’m under and being in a new city with no friends doesn’t help. We, I desperately need assistance. I want my daughter back. The pictures I attached were recently taken during a monitored visit I had with my daughter on her 5th birthday. I do not want to have to live through the upcoming holiday season without her in my care. Thank you, Camille

Camille from all of us at OTS we congratulate you and wish you and your daughter a Merry Christmas together.

This family brings our total people placed this year to 118 and the total we’ve placed since our startup 2 years ago to 295.

We were happy to help Cortez and Shaunte with their security deposit so they could get into their own apartment today and get out of their homeless situation that they’ve been in since August. They were both great to work with and followed our process with so much cooperation. In fact, their first apartment fell through but they persevered and got another one that fit the budget we built with them. They both have jobs and just needed a little assistance to get into their own apartment. Read their story below:

I Cortez & my wife Shaunte are currently homeless. We arrived here in Orange County from Rockford Illinois on August 1st. Prior to leaving Illinois both of our families promised to assist until we were able to get on our feet and rent an apartment. Once we arrived here, those promises were truly neglected. Me and my wife were forced to live in the car that we once possessed. From there we were able to get some aid and rent a motel for a few nights. We are still homeless. Shaunte was transferred here but it did not offer relocation assistance. Safety and a good night’s rest are all that we are thriving for. At 27 years of age, we have never had to deal with the current trials but God has kept us safe. During our stay at an array of motels, the rooms were roach infested, disorderly neighbors, and lacked basic essentials to have a comfortable stay. Both my wife and I are praying for a new path so that we are able to start our lives over. Our current situation has been a true test of resilience, but we are hoping & praying that this is our new beginning. Thanking everyone in advance.

Best wishes to you Cortez and Shaunte! From all of us at OTS.

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This couple brings our total placements this year to 116 and our grand total since 293.

After a year of being without a home, we were happy to help Johnnie with her security deposit today so she could get into an apartment of her own. It took her about 3 months to find something that fit the budget that we built with her, but she did it! Her story:

Hi my name is Johnnie and I am 34 years old. I became homeless due to a split in a volatile relationship. I was living with my ex­-boyfriend and unfortunately he put me out of the apartment we shared. I was not on thelease so there was nothing I could do. That was a year ago. Since then, I have been staying in hotels around the Orange County area as well as couch surfing at friends places when they let me. I also worked to repair my credit over that time. Today I found an apartment that meets the income/budget requirements.

Johnnie – all of us at OTS congratulate you and wish you the best!

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Johnnie is the 114th person we’ve helped this year and the 291st person we’ve helped since we started in 2014.

It was our absolute pleasure to help this family with their security deposit today so they could end their homeless situation. Living in hotels, vehicles, and burdening others with couch hopping is no way for a family live, especially with children. This story is worth read and reminds us all that having a home is truly something to be grateful for and not to take for granted. Consuelo’s story:

We are a family of 6; Jose, Consuelo, and our 4 kids. We are currently homeless. We sleep on the couch in family and friends living rooms or on the floor when it’s available. Our family has even been separated because it’s hard to find a place for all of us. We rent a motel when we can and have had to stay in the car if we couldn’t. We moved to Orange County in June, hoping to find better jobs to support our family with my husband work skills and my schooling we arrived with high hopes. We had a plan to stay with relatives and thought we would have a house within a month but this did not happen. Finding housing with our section 8 vouchers has been difficult. We didn’t know that Orange County is one of the hardest places to find a home that accepts section 8. I came across an article in the Orange County Register saying many families lose their voucher because they can’t find a home that accepts section 8.

We are going on 4 months with no home. My family is large and it’s hard to stay in someone’s living room with five people on two couches. But I know I have to think positive and keep moving forward for my children. So I began to search for resources and I came across the “ Off the streets” program. I am praying my story and my family is one that you will see would be grateful for all the help we can receive. My two oldest children are fed free lunch at school but often I cannot cook breakfast for my babies because sometimes we don’t have access to a kitchen. We try and eat with friends at their houses for dinner. We have to eat fast food a lot. I buy snacks and fruit that wont go bad because we don’t have a refrigerator and hang out at different parks with the kids during the day. Last week our milk spoiled because we couldn’t keep it cold, and my son stayed up crying because he wanted a bottle. My oldest girls where crying just a couple days ago asking when will they have beds again and a house. It made me realize how just the simple things in life mean so much.

This is not the life my husband and me planned. When I think about how we got to this state of being homeless it happened so fast, but I know if my husband and me did not stay strong it would get worse. We still have life and life is worth fighting for. The 2nd best news we heard after hearing we could submit a paper about our family to your program is, we have finally found a house that will accept our section 8 Voucher and yes it was a breath of fresh air but there is still more we need to accomplish to make it our own home. But with your help it will allow us to have a deposit so we can move in and move forward away from homelessness. I want to thank you in advance for all of the help you provide families like ours. We know if we are chosen with this help we can begin again and start living life to the fullest with our children and have a loving home.
Before I end this letter I want to say my husband and me understand that life has hardships and is not always easy. But these months of being homeless with our children have been so degrading as a human being I didn’t even feel like a person anymore. As a mother the moment you hold your baby for the first time instinct tells you to protect and provide for this child and the moment you are put in a position where you cant it literally makes you feel lifeless. But I must continue to keep going and I have faith that everything will come together for the good.
Thank you, Consuelo and Jose

From all of us at OTS and all of our supporters, we wish the very best in your new home!

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This family brings the total people we’ve helped this year to 113, and the total we’ve helped since our startup just over 2 years ago up to 290.

A big congratulations to “Sally” (name changed to protect her identity due to domestic violence) and her daughter for getting out of their homeless situation. We were able to help this single Mom with her security deposit so that they could move into their new rental. Read her story below:

Hi, my name is “Sally” and I have a daughter. Due to recent circumstances involving domestic violence my daughter and have become displaced from our home. We have been bouncing from place to place. In light of recent events I acquired a restraining order protecting both my daughter and myself. I have also started the process for divorce. I am also attending school aiming to complete my high school diploma that I was unable to get growing up due to traumatic circumstances. I am also in a wrap around mental health program for bipolar and ptsd. My daughter was diagnosed with adhd at 7yrs old. Given our circumstances we still do our best to keep our heads high smile and move forward day by day. We are hoping to get into an apartment soon so that we can get to a more stable life for both of us and move forward from our recent circumstances. I am a disabled stay at home mom and as such can’t afford a deposit for a new place with out help.

From all of us at OTS, we wish you the best in your new home and your new start in life!

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This single Mom and her daughter bring our placements this year to 107 and our total placements since we started in 2014 up to 284

Today we congratulate Lynette and her 2 sons for getting out of their homeless situation that they’ve been in since July. This family has been living in hotels and called us for help to get back on their feet. We built a budget with her and she found a rental she loved that was slightly above this budget, but she was then able to negotiate with the landlord to get it reduced to meet her budget. In fact, the landlord was a bit doubtful at first and called us to confirm we were a legitimate charity. After speaking with us and learning about our program, he agreed to lower the rent, we then helped with the security deposit, and this family was able to move in today. Read Lynette’s story below:

Dear Off the Streets Huntington Beach,
Hi, my name is Lynette. I have been homeless since July 13, 2016. I lived at my last apartment for 17 years and was evicted after lodging a complaint about a severe mold problem. I am so afraid and need help finding a place to live. One of my sons goes to college and has a job. My other son is disabled. I am a nurse and was unemployed but now have a new job. My son is also searching for a second job. We are good people who had an unfortunate event which left us without a home. Please help our family find a place to live while we continue to better our lives.
Thank you, Lynette

Lynette, from all of us at Off The Streets – Huntington Beach, we wish you and your sons the very best in your new home!

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This family brings our total placements this year to 105 and our grand total since we started OTS-HB to 282

Today we congratulate Twylla and her son for getting off the street and into their own rental today. After suffering a series of family and personal medical crises, Twylla and her son ended up living in their vehicle. She called us from a public library where she had been parking her car for the last 2 months and we were able to create a budget with her to determine how much rent she could afford. Twylla found a rental the fit this budget and we were able to help her with the security deposit so they could move in.

Twylla, we wish you and your son the best in your new home, from all of us at OTS!

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This single Mom brings our total placements this year to 102 and our grand total placements over the last 2 years to 279.

Sharee’s family of 6 is now in a new rental of their own after being evicted from their last rental when she could not come to an agreement with her last landlord on a rental amount that she could afford. Fortunately, Sharee was recently awarded a housing voucher which allows her new rental amount to fit well within the budget we built with her and her family. As such, we were happy to pay her security deposit so that she could get her family into this new rental. Sharee and her new landlord were a pleasure to work with and were so cooperative in following our process every step of the way!

Sharee and family – Congratulations, we wish you the best in your new home. From all of us at OTS.

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This family brings the total number of people we’ve helped this year to 100 and the total we’ve helped since we started in 2014 up to 277.

Congrulations Terese for getting into your own home! We were happy to help Terese by building a budget with her and then helping her with the security deposit after she found a rental that fit this budget. We will soon be delivering furniture to turn her new rental into a home! Read her story below:

My name is Terese and I’ve been homeless for over 10+ years. I finally found a better job. As of this email, I’ve been employed consistently for 6 months with the same company! To my surprise, my Orange County Section 8 Housing Voucher (that I’ve been waiting for for 5­ 1/2 yrs.) has finally come through! I found a studio apt. and a manager that will accept my Section 8 voucher! Unfortunately, I have been living paycheck to paycheck with the high rent/program fees at my temporary shelter. Therefore, I have no money saved. The new landlord on my future studio apt. needs a deposit. I have no household items, no bed, no chair, nothing. I need just about everything! All would be wonderful to have again!! Whatever your inventory allows! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! Thank you all so very very much! God bless you! Sincerely, Terese

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Terese is the 94th individual we’ve helped this year and the 271 person we’ve helped escape homelessness since our start up 2 years ago.

Today we congratulate Sharon and her 4 kids for getting into their own home today. Most recently they have been living in their van and motels and were desperate to get off the streets. We will soon be providing this family essential household goods and furniture to give them a fresh start. Read Sharon’s story below.

Hello. My name is Sharon. I am a single mother and am currently homeless with four of my children in Orange County, Ca. In the beginning of 2016, we were living in Irvine, Ca when an unexpected emergency arose after the mandatory routine repairs of the community we were living in causing our home to be inhabitable and our family to have to move out of our house unexpectedly before the completion of our lease. After attempts to resolve the problem with our landlord, we were unable to acquire additional housing. We stayed a short time with my family relatives but they were unwilling or unable to give us stability to live with them, and they asked us to leave their home due to them wanting their own family to stay functional. So again we are searching for housing and have found a couple of houses that fit our voucher requirements, but now we are in need of help with the deposit. For the past 3 to 4 weeks we have been living between our van and motels. We have exhausted our funds, so lately we have been more residing in the van because the shelters in the Orange County area are full at this time. I have gotten my daughters enrolled in school, while we search fervently for housing and work every day. I am in crucial need of the assistance provided by Off the Streets because I do not have the finances to pay the security deposit when renting a residence. My income at this moment is significantly limited, and am therefore in critical need of your assistance in order to find a residence and work. My family and I sincerely and greatly would appreciate your generosity and help in getting my family relocated from the streets into a house where we can live and function stably. Sincere Thanks, Sharon

Sharon and kids, from all of us at OTS we wish you the best in your new home!

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This family brings our placements this year to 93 people and our total placements since we started just over 2 years ago to 270 people.

We are very happy to report that Marlo and her 3 kids were able to get into their own home today after we helped them with a budget and the security deposit. They have been homeless since August when they had to leave their last rental due to serious health and sanitation problems that were affecting their health. Marlo’s income allows her to pay her rent but she needed help with the security deposit to get into a place of their own. She wrote this nice Thank You note below:

I’d like to Thank you in advance “Everyone” that is a part of your Organization!!! I want you to now how Grateful & Truly Blessed our Family is!! No one will ever truly know how Grateful I am. Thank You Many Blessings to each and Everyone of You!! Warmest Regards & Love, Marlo

Marlo and kids, we wish you the best in your new home! From all of us at OTS!

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This family brings our total placements this year to 88 and our grand total since our start up in June 2014 to 265.

We are very happy to congratulate Lisa, her Mom, and 2 kids for getting into their own home today after we were able to help them with their security deposit. We will soon be delivering furniture to this family so they can get a fresh start. Read Lisa’s story below:

Dear Off The Streets, After recently being separated from my husband of 17 years, I became a single mother of our two children. My son 17, and my youngest daughter 11. So, I decided to move back here where I grew up. My mom, myself, and two children. We both have full time jobs, that we were able to transfer out here, & had saved money for this move. So, with housing, full time jobs, vehicles, & some money set aside, I thought I’d worked everything out. I tried doing all the research & planning for this move, trying to anticipate just about everything. However, I did not anticipate what happened once we arrived. First off, the one thing I thought I could count on, and probably the most important, was not. With an appointment that was scheduled over a month & a half out; this meant everything to do with our living situation was on hold until that date. There was nothing I could do. Now, I had to find someway to stay afloat and keep going until that day. I was devastated. So, the 4 of us began staying in “weekly’s”, but without kitchens, or being able to prepare meals, & paying so much for a week at a time in the motels, and to have to do it for that long; all the monies we had saved for “getting into a new place”was now gone. My plans had been shattered. My children were not able to begin school with everyone else, my vehicle had now broke down at the worst possible time, and I ended up having to take a leave of absence from work until I could get some of these things taken care of. So with my loss of wages,and a broke down truck and no place to go, we now had a new living situation; we had actually become homeless. I was at a loss of words… In just a blink of an eye, our world had been turned upside down. My children counting on me, & not knowing the extent of everything, didn’t quite understand. I was heartbroken…I was to say the least, devastated completely exhausted and had lost all hope. Then I remember thinking; this is not acceptable…!!! I will not give up. I would not accept this new way of life. So, I was then on a mission and this consumed my everyday, my every thought. Whatever I had to do, no matter how hard. I pushed myself to keep going. It’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. However, after 3 extremely long months of struggling & surviving out here; I am very happy to say that we’ve finally found a house. ok, I did it, we have a house. But they’re going to want a security deposit. Was this going to prevent me from getting us into a home? So, once again, with little hope left, began researching and calling to see what (if anything) I could do. So, when I ran across “Off the Streets” and was told of the possibility of them helping me with the security deposit we need to move in, I couldn’t believe it. Miracles do indeed happen. And there are Angels among us. Thank you so very much to everyone there at “Off the Streets” and for all the incredibly generous and caring donors. Can’t thank you enough, Lisa & family

Lisa and family – congratulations from all of us at OTS!

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This family brings our total placements this year to 84 and the total since our startup 2 years ago to 261.

Paul, Jenny and their 2 kids are happy to be in their own home today. This family lost their previous home 2 months ago when Paul experience medical problems, they fell behind on their rent, and got evicted. Paul and Jenny have jobs and just needed a little help to get back on their feet. As such, we built a budget with them, they were able to find a rental that fit this budget, and we then paid their security deposit to their new landlord so that they could move in today. Paul’s landlord really worked with us to get this family placed.

Paul, Jenny, and kids, from all of us at OTS, we congratulate you on your new home and wish you the best!

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This family brings our total placements this year to 80 and our total placed since we started 2 year ago to 257.

Today we were able to help Misty get out of her homeless situation and into her own place by paying her security deposit. Misty is disabled and ended up homeless after her she had to move out of her previous rental due to a price increase she couldn’t afford. She has been couch hopping with a friend and due to her limited fixed income she needed our help with the security deposit to be able to move into her own place, which we were able to confirm with the budget we built with her. Both Misty and her landlord were a pleasure to work with!

Misty, from all of us at OTS we wish you the best in your new home.

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Misty is the 76th individual we’ve helped escape homelessness this year and the 253rd since our start up 2 years ago.

We congratulate Richard today for getting out of his homeless situation. We were happy to build a budget with him that determined how much rent he could afford based on his income and then after he found a rental that fit this budget we were able pay his security deposit to allow him to move in. Richard asked that we pixelate his picture for privacy. Please read his story below:

Hello, To all Donors and OTS team.
My name is Richard. In a way, you can say my life is remarkable. For the fact that my mother was an alcoholic prostitute, She was assaulted one night and conceived me as a result of that assault. She didn’t want to keep me, but was convinced by friends to carry me to term. I was born a very sick child, myself and another baby girl shared a crib. As a result of the illness the baby girl passed away. I managed to pull through. My birth mother gave me up for adoption at that time. I did not learn to sit up, crawl or walk till after age 2. I’ve had a learning disability all of my life. At the age of 5 which was in 1981 I was struck by a vehicle thrown 30 feet had a TBI, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, and collapsed lung. Again I managed to pull through how to learn to crawl and walk again. I have always been different than other people. Throughout Grammar School I was bullied by other kids. This made it hard for me to stay focused on my school work. I had to change schools quite a few times due to other disabilities and problems. My adopted father had an alcoholic problem and would beat my adopted mother when he was drunk, this has left emotional scars throughout my adult life. He was a great man when he wasn’t drinking. But the alcohol always seem to sneak its way back into his life no matter what. I have seen the worst of what life has to offer. At about age 13 I was placed in a place called MacLaren Hall down in El Monte because someone called and reported child abuse. Which was not true. I was then subject to abuse by the staff who the county entrusted to take care of us. I met many abused children and was even stabbed with a pencil once by a fellow peer while there. I have never turn to drugs or alcohol to try and solve any of my problems. My mental health learning disabilities prevented me from achieving success. I have worked as a security guard in the past. But because of an endocrine disorder that I found out I have it has caused other physical problems within my being. The medication is quite expensive and County doesn’t have adequate funds to try and help pay for this medication so I am stuck. I want better in life and I plan to try and have a good life eventually. When my adopted mother passed away I ended up homeless and started sleeping in a vehicle. I would look for housing what was passed up by landlords because of discrimination of my physical attributes. Just one all hope was gone something told me to look on the internet to try and reach out for help. I just want to thank everyone at off the streets and the donors with deepest sincerity for helping me with this deposit. It makes me feel good to know that there are still people out there that care about the less fortunate. So God bless you all in this life and the afterlife. Signed Richard

Richard, from all of us at OTS, we wish you the very best in your new home.

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Richard is the 75th person we’ve helped get into housing this year and the 252nd we’ve helped since our start up in 2014.

Today we congratulate Maryam and her 3 kids for getting out of their homeless situation and into a home of their own. We were happy to assist this single Mom with a personalized budget and by paying her security deposit to allow them to move in. We will soon be providing this family with essential household goods and furniture. Read her story below.

My name is Maryam and I am a single mother of 3 beautiful children. I have 10 year old twin’s, a girl and a boy, and a 4 year old son. In 2015 I was working as a caregiver. The job I was working for shut down because of other caregivers doing elderly abuse. Very sad. I miss my clients. So I ended up losing my place. I had no income for my rent. I been staying place to place, sleeping in my car with my children and at a church shelter. God knows I am tired. My kid’s deserve more. I have a housing voucher and found an apartment. The owner is very nice and is willing to work with me. I am a strong, hard­ working mother that loves her children and I thank God for blessing me with the housing voucher.
Maryam

Maryam – From all of us at Off The Streets – Huntington Beach, we wish you the best and really enjoyed working with you!

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This family brings our total placements this year to 74 and our total since our startup to 251.

Today was a very happy day for Jennifer and her 2 girls. With some assistance from us with a budget and security deposit, Jennifer was finally able to get her and her girls into a home of their own. Read her story of struggle, persistence, and personal victory below:

Dear Off the streets, My name is Jennifer and I have 2 daughters that are 5 and 9. We were looking for another apartment for months because the rent where we were was raising all the time over every little thing they did to upgrade so it was causing a lot of stress. I lost my last job in Febuary 2016 so the stress was out of control. We used everything we had to keep going and in May I got the job that I have which was such a blessing I thought everything would be uphill from there. Playing catch up was harder than I thought and it caught up with us. The amount of stress over this has damaged our family so much that I cry at the scars that it caused us. We literally applied everywhere there was an opening and kept paying application fees but never got a thing. Down to the last day we got doors shut so we were out on the streets and completely lost. We’ve been spending our money on hotels and trying to keep it together but my husband turned to what he knows to ease his pain. That made things so much worse. A couple of days ago through keeping in contact with one manager I had put all my hope in, I waiting for his reply in if he would follow through with approving us to live in the property he was renting. He texted and emailed me to meet with him on Sunday. I was in so much darkness I didn’t think I even cared if we moved anywhere because I thought my hope was gone. Our girls always stay positive because mama knows how to make it an adventure. Anyway that Sunday I met with the manager it was a God send. He hugged me and told me everything was going to be great and pointed out all the beautiful things in my life and how to step forward. He said it was mine if I’ll take it! I couldn’t comprehend it really. But when I left I realized it and it changed me completely. Then knowing off the streets would help so that we can move in and get comfortable in a home for years of security for my girls. I hope going through this will help us to be closer and appreciate our new place that much more! Thank you so much to OTS for accepting us and believing in people. I think having people support you and encourage you makes a difference that will last a lifetime. All from the heart.Thank you, Jennifer

Jennifer and girls – all of us at OTS congratulate you and wish you the very best in your new home!

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This single Mom and her 2 girls bring our total placements this year to 70 and our total since our startup in 2014 to 247.

Today is a great day for Mary. She got off the streets and into her own home. She was a pleasure to work with and so grateful for the budget we built with her and the help we provided with her security deposit. Read her story below:

My story – To start off, this will actually be the abbreviated version because my story is so long. I will gladly fill in any blanks or parts of this story anytime in the future, In reality, I have been pretty much “homeless” in some sense since I lost my own home over 13 years ago. I had worked as a Sales/Marketing/Advertising Manager in the Beverage Industry for 20­plus years and was very successful in what I did. I owned a 4 ­bedroom home in San Juan Capistrano up the hills, Two dogs. Three cars. I thought my life was set. My home was going to be my retirement fund and I thought life was great! Then the company I worked for had downsizing and I lost my position. Since the tier I was at, it was hard finding a job right away I had to rely on my unemployment. Then the worst hit. My Mom fell ill. Long story short, She fell over and collapsed in my home the day after Thanksgiving and did not leave the hospital until weeks later. Over time she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and and Lou Gehrig,s disease. I can’t explain the pain of watching your beloved Mother ­ who had raised me as a single Mom, get eaten up by these horrible diseases. She was single because my father died of cancer when I was ten years old after a six­ year battle with cancer. My parents had tried to have have children for almost seventeen years and my Mom was 44 when I was born. Being a strict Irish Catholic, my Dad had been her one­ and ­only and she never never remarried.

After a year I physically and emotionally no longer take care of her by myself, so she was placed in a nursing home where actual professionals could take care of her though I was there daily. I worked nights at a restaurant in San Juan after my home went into foreclosure and rented a small place with my two dogs. Then the worst happened My Mother died. She never realized I had lost my home because she was already in the nursing home. This did not last too long because my lifetime of depression and anxiety caught up with me and I was hospitalized. I had to adopt out one of my amazing dogs and my dear friends watched Max, my other one, until I could find a “normal” place. Until then I lived at a shelter and worked in retail to save myself and save money to rent a room somewhere. So at this point I had lost basically all. My Mother. My home, My career. Two of my cars. One of my dogs. Etc.

Now, I am soooo excited!! Just left the place with the keys and I move in tomorrow. It has not really sunk in. Maybe my story will tell you why this means so much to me.

*****
Mary is the 67th individual we’ve placed this year and the 244th person we’ve placed since our startup in 2014.

We are happy to report that Ramona and her 2 kids were able to get out of their homeless situation and into their own home today. Their new Landlord was a real pleasure to work with and went out of his way to help this single mother get back on her feet. This family faced a crisis when Ramona lost her job and their had to leave their last rental. They have been living in their car for the last 2 months. We were able to help Ramona get into her new place by helping with the security deposit. Here is Ramona’s story in her own words:

We have always lived on a very tight budget since my second child was born. After losing both of my jobs My family got into financial hardship, mostly due to my son’s disability. We have accumulated a lot of Doctor and hospitals bills amongst others. My son have been very ill dignosed with epilepsy, ADHD, sleep apnea and Autism. As a single parent and his only physical parent, It has been very, very difficult for me to get and/or keep a job. With no support I had no where to turn. I have to care for son full time by myself as well as my 11 year old daughter. My son has several doctors appointment weekly and it’s has cost us to be without a lot of things, including losing our home. I am asking for help with our security deposit so that we can move into permanent housing. This help from Off the streets HB will help give my family the stability we desperately need right now. Thank you God blessings, Ramona.

This family brings the total number of people we’ve helped this year to 66 and the total since we started 2 years ago to 243.

Today we are very happy to report that we were able to help Rene and Isabelle get out of their homeless situation and into a home of their own. We built a budget with them based on their combined income, they found a rental that fit this budget, and we paid their security deposit to get them housed. We will soon be delivering furniture since they are in need of these essential items (couch, dresser, kitchen table and chairs, and kitchen and household goods).

They have been living in their car after they were forced to move out of their previous rental because the landlord did not have a permit to rent. Isabelle followed our process to the letter and was very proactive with us to ensure they got into a home as soon as possible — she took complete ownership of improving their situation and we were glad to help!

Rene and Isabelle bring our placements this year to 63 and our total placements over the last two years to 240.

We are pleased to announce that “Alice” (real name withheld and picture blurred to protect identity) and her son left their homeless situation today. We were happy to help her with her security deposit after she found a rental that fit the budget we built with her. Please read her story below:

Dear OTS, I come from a broken home and struggled to transition into adulthood. I had very little emotional support growing up and I believe I suffered in my adult life because of it. As a young adult, I fell into the wrong group of friends, and lived a lifestyle that was full of bad behavior. At one point I was living from motel to motel to eventually having no where else to go. Just a few years ago, God brought me the greatest gift of all, my beautiful son. Since then, I have changed my life for the better. For the past few years I have been struggling to support my son on my own while attending school. His father has not been present in his life due to being in and out of jail. Unfortunately, I was a victim of domestic violence (step father) which led me to be out on the streets again until a shelter took me in. I am now working at a good job. I hope to move up in this company while I attend school. I am a few units short of an AA degree and would like to continue to pursue a masters. I hope that one day I will be able to guide troubled adolescents in the right direction and give back to those who have been in my shoes. Sincerely, “Alice”

From all of at OTS, we wish you and your son the very best.
_________________

Alice and her son bring our total placements this year to 61 and the total number of people we’ve helped over the last 2 years to 238.

We want to congratulate Adriana and her 3 kids for getting out of their homeless situation and into a place of their very own today. Adriana worked with us for several months and her persistence finally paid off. Read her story below:

My name is Adriana. I have three small kids from age 1 ,4 and 5, Last year in November my situation with my babies’ father got real bad. I had to do something about it. I asked my sister in law to take my girls to stay with her when she could have them without interfering in her work and personal life. I kept my son with me in orange county after all my saving was used to paying the motel I had no where for us to stay. I made a fast food restaurant my new home it was quiet and I felt very safe with having my son with me. When I found out about OTS Huntington beach I didn’t believe it was true but I said oh well im gonna try it anyways, my last hope for help all my hope was gone. I felt like no one cared about my situation nor did they wanna help me. After speaking with OTS I knew OTS was gonna be the one to help get us off the street. I did everything that was asked of me, almost a year later I found the right place. I didn’t think the program was gonna give me there assistance cause of the length of time it took to find the right place but something reminded me of the only hope they provided me when I was lost and in need of assistance. I got a warm feeling in my gut that said call it doesn’t hurt to ask if they would still help. I called and like lighting in a bad storm they were back in action working with me to complete my process to move in a safe place for me and my children. Thank you all at OTS FOR HELPING US WHEN NO ONE ELSE WOULD. A SPECIAL THANKS FOR BEING SO PATIENT AND UNDERSTANDING OF MY SITUATION AND KNOWING HOW CRITICAL THIS WAS FOR ME. THANKS TO ALL DONORS WHO TAKE THE TIME OUT OF THERE BUSY LIVES TO CARE FOR THE HOMELESS AND HELP ALL THEY CAN CAUSE WITH OUT DONORS LIKE YOU THIS OTS PROGRAM WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE. Signed, Adriana

Adriana, from all of us at OTS we wish you and your kids the very best in your new home.

****

This family brings the total number of individuals we’ve helped escape homelessness this year to 59, and the total we’ve helped since we started 2 years ago to 236.

Today we congratulate Makaleah, Xuesh, and their son for ending their homeless situation. We were happy to help them with their security deposit so they could move into their own rental.

Dear OTS, Our family of 3 have been homeless for about a year now. We have been moving from hotel to hotel trying to get the cheapest place we can find. We have spent a few nights in our car due to no money or being unable to find a hotel room. My boyfriend works full time. I go to school and take care of our 2 year old son full time. We have finally found a perfect safe place to raise our son and they actually accepted our application. Section 8 just approved us and we received our voucher. So finally we will have somewhere stable and safe for our son to live. We just need help with the deposit for our new place. Right now we don’t have any money for the deposit. The last time my boyfriend got paid we put a down payment to hold the apartment so that will go towards the deposit. Since we have been moving around so much and living in our car we don’t have any furniture or anything for our new place. We have to start all over from scratch. We would appreciate any help that you can provide. Anything is better than nothing. Thank you so much for your help and giving us as parents an opportunity to feel like good parent’s again. This is a picture of us at a Christmas party my college had for us to bring our family to. Thank you so much, Makaleah.

Makaleah and Xuesh, we wish you and your son the very best in your new home, from all of us at OTS-HB

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This family brings the total number of people we’ve helped escape their homeless situation to 232 since we started just over 2 years ago.

Congratulations to Maresa today for getting into her own place. We were able to help her make this last step of leaving homelessness by helping her with her budget and security deposit. She has been homeless on and off for the past couple of years, most recently living in her car at a park. Before that staying with friends but they have families she didn’t want to bother them by staying there. Before that she lived with her mom, but her mom passed away. With the help of our budget, her housing voucher, and our security deposit, Maresa was able to get a place of her own that she can afford for the long term.

Maresa, all of us at OTS wish you the very best in your new home.

******

Maresa is the 229th individual that OTS-HB has helped escape homelessness.

We are happy to report that we were able to help Nora and her daughter get out of their homeless situation and into their own apartment today. We built a budget with them, they found an apartment that fit this budget, and we helped them with the security deposit. Read their story below:

My daughter and I are seeking your assistance because at this time we are homeless. I lost my job and could no longer pay the rent for our apartment. We have since stayed with a relative for only a few days because they are not allowed to have people stay there for longer. We stayed with a friend also and even have stayed in our car for some nights. My daughter and I have a part time job at this time. We are looking for a second job to get us back on our feet. We have been looking for a small apartment or even a room to rent in someone’s home but have not been able to due to the fact that the deposits are so high and we just don’t have the money. This situation has been so stressful for both of us but we have faith in God that things will get better. We would greatly appreciate your assistance to help us pay for a deposit or part of the rent so we can get our own little place and get off the street. Thank you and God Bless. -Nora

Nora, from all of us at OTS, we wish you and your daughter the best in your new home.

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This family brings the total number of people we’ve helped get off the streets to 228.

Today we congratulate Kathleen for getting off the streets and into her own apartment. We were happy to help her by building a budget with her and helping her with the security deposit for the rental she found. Read her compelling story below:

Dear Off the Streets,

I am providing a summary of how I ended up homeless and the struggles I have faced to overcome this and move forward to an independent, self­ sufficient life. I was once an employed, independent person. At one time, I was a 2007 graduate of the Disneyland Resort Management Training Program. My career was derailed, however, when I found myself diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and it took a long time for this condition to ultimately be stabilized with the right combination of medication management and cognitive behavioral therapy. Unfortunately, because of the change in my health I was unable to continue with my employment at Disney, and I went on their long term disability plan, which I am still able to receive, even though I am no longer employed by the company. I also receive Social Security Disability Income.

I soon began living a nightmare life, unable to continue to pay for my apartment, which was not discounted, and I lost it. Anyone can find themselves homeless in the blinking of an eye, losing all their belongings in the process. I found myself living in my car, motels, a
series of unsafe homes with strangers, then back in motels, then trapped in transitional housing, then back in motels, then trapped again in transitional housing, with no transition, ever! Finally, the Orange County Health Care Agency, in the division of Behavorial Health services, in the division of Residential Housing, helped me to receive Mental Health Services Act certification for the Project­Based Apartments, as a low income senior with a mental health disability who is homeless or at risk of homelessness.

I have been approved for a 1 bedroom apartment, and now the Orange County Housing Authority is doing my final processing, and I have been told that I should expect to move by July 1st. I just don’t have the deposit! I have worked so hard to get to this point, and I have come so far, but I may lose this apartment if no one can help me!! I’ve desperately tried everywhere! The Orange County Council on Aging (I am 61 ­­but I don’t feel old) referred me to your program. I will be deeply grateful for your help!! I will have enough money to pay my rent each month­­, which will always be one third of my income­­ but I don’t have the deposit money. PLEASE help me, and thank you so very much for considering me.
Sincerely, Kathleen

Kathleen, we were so happy to help you with your deposit today and we wish you the best in your new home! – From all of us at OTS.

Today we congratulate Mary for getting out of her homeless situation and into her own place. We were happy to help her with the deposit. Read her story below:

Hello, my name is Mary. You have been recommended to me by the Mental Health Association of Orange County. I need help. I lost my job in 1999 after 26 years of working there. I have been struggling with mental illness ever since then. I have been sleeping in my car in Huntington Beach. I am looking for housing. I found an apartment with a Section 8 voucher in Anaheim. The landlord is also requesting one month’s security deposit. I am hoping that you can assist me. I am a sixty-nine year old women with several disabilities. I receive SSI. I need your help. I have COPD, Asthma, Gerd, Arthritis, and Mental Illness of depression and Anxiety, with some Obsessive Compulsiveness. On February 28, 2016, I had a heart attack. I am hoping that you can help enable me to pursue my goals and healthy living. I’m much more aware of the gift of extra time. I want to be constructive in my life. I look forward to hearing a positive response from your organization. I became aware of your existence only days before. Thank you for your time and attention towards my living situation. Sincerely, Mary

Mary, from all of us at OTS, we wish you the very best in your new home!

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Mary is the 225th homeless individual that we’ve helped get off the street since we started our work 2 years ago.

Today we congratulate Saundra and her 2 kids for getting into their own place. We were happy to help with the security deposit. Read Saundra’s story below:

Hello OTS, I have been homeless since February of this year 2016. My adult children have wives and husbands and children and no room for myself and my two other children who are 15 and 18 who live with me. I have been in my car for several months and that due to the fact that my oldest son’s wife said we could not live there at their house with them and their four children anymore and that was February 5th. I have a good income and am able to pay rent monthly but I also have an eviction on my credit through HUD from when my husband and I got hud­vash a few years ago here and Huntington Beach. He passed away from cancer a few years ago also. So in the midst of losing my husband and the grief and depression that came along with that and that I have emphysema I was unable to take care of things and house my children and myself. But especially because of the eviction. So we have been renting either motel rooms every which I have plenty of receipts from or paying people to stay with them when I could or sleeping in my car and I’m so thankful to you for helping us to do this. Once again thank you very much for everything and God Bless you and your Staff..Off the Street’s Hunt.Bch! Saundra

Saundra, from all of us at OTS we wish you and your kids the very best in your new home!

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This family brings the total number of people we’ve helped get off the streets and into housing up to 224 since we started 2 years ago.

Congratulations Jeremy, Angela, and to your 2 kids! This family faced a true crisis (house fire), fell into homelessness and a downward spiral in their finances, and just needed a hand up to get back on their feet. OTS was happy to help them with their security deposit, so they could get back into a home of their own. Read their story below:

In the beginning of December My family and and I were returning from the doctors to see all our neighbors and landlord outside our apartment and they let us know that the fire department just left and our apartment was on fire. When we went inside to we saw that there was a electrical fire in the master bedroom bathroom. They said we couldn’t stay there it was a condemned and we had 3 days to move everything out. We lost about 60% of our stuff due to the the fire and smoke damage.The landlord gave us our security deposit back and we parted ways. We have been in motels trying to find apartments in the same school district for our boys. we finally found one. We have been on a waiting list for six months for this apartment and we almost went through our entire savings. If it weren’t for the help we wouldn’t be able to get our apartment. Thank you Off The Streets.

Jeremy, Angela, and Kids – from all of us at OTS we congratulate you on getting back into a home of your own.

****

This family of 4 brings the total number of people we’ve helped to 221 since we started 2 years ago.

Today we congratulate Ramon and his 2 daughters for getting into a place of their own. Read their story below:

Good day, I reached out to you guys in regards to getting some help because I became homeless on May 7th, 2016 after I lost my job that assisted with my housing. I have never ever in my entire life have NOT had a place to stay and at the age of 37 it was clear to me that I did something wrong along the way. Being away from my parents who live in New York and not having any help from anyone here in California because my immediate family is 3,000 miles away is the toughest thing I have ever had to do. I am working full time again and currently have 2 kids. When I get to see my kids, I try to see my them as much as possible when I get off work but that doesn’t leave me much time because I am off work at 7pm and by the time they get to bed I may have seen them for all of an hour or so. Then I leave them with other family and head to my car, drive to the darkest area I can find and sleep in my car until the morning, once the sun rises I use my gym membership to find a place to shower so I can get ready for work. I have never forecasted this part of my life to take place the way it is especially with having kids to care for and take care of. This has by far been the hardest ordeal I have ever had to face and with Orange county being so expensive with regards to finding a decent place to live that makes it almost impossible to survive at times and my kids is all I can think about. I have struggled at times throughout my life but never like this. There are times where I have to stretch a few packs of ramen noodles just to have something to eat at night and for lunch the next day. So I decided to do some research and came across OTS and asked if they could help me. I pray at night at times that my kids do NOT have to sleep in the car with me over night because I would never get any sleep but on the same note I need to be back with my kids full time under one roof. I cannot function like this and pray every night and every morning that I can get back on my feet and get my kids back together with their dad. Thank you for any help that maybe provided from your organization and it will not go unnoticed. Sincerely, Ramon

Ramon, from all of us at OTS, we wish you and your daughters the very best.

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Ramon and his daughters bring the total number of people we’ve helped get off the streets to 217.

Today we congratulate Francesca and her soon-to-be daughter. Sometimes people experience a combination of events and need a hand up. We were happy to help Francesca get out of a difficult situation and get into a place of her own. Read her story below:

Hi! My name is Francesca, and I am currently 6 months pregnant. Though super excited for my baby girl to arrive this August the journey from then to now hasn’t been the easiest one. However, one of my favorite bible verse is Romans 5: 3­4 which has been my go to through everything. The father of my baby and I are no longer together (it was a very toxic relationship one that always consist of being blamed for everything, humiliated, shamed, demeaned so on and so forth­ just wasn’t healthy for the pregnancy or period), in fact the beginning of March when I stopped working due to not having the best first trimester he kicked us out of the apt in LA. From there, I moved to SD being my support group down here is much larger than it is there and I had nowhere to go or stay in LA (partially why it was so difficult the first months of my pregnancy because beyond the father who was in and out doing his own thing­ I really felt isolated and alone most of the time). Beyond my siblings, I don’t have family. Since early March I have been couch surfing amongst friends and living out of my car, working as many hours I can at my new job doing administration, getting in touch and setting up any resource(s) I possibly can through SD county/211/ single parent programs/church you name it! For me, creating a stable, safe and comfortable life for my daughter is everything, and I will do what I need to in order to make that happen. Though pregnant I am also going through a break up so emotionally that has been difficult especially knowing the father is already with someone else, but as said I am Thankfully, one of my friends brought up Off the Streets­ HB and said I should check it out, which I did that very minute and more than glad for it! Though things are still in the works it has given a new found sense of hope and stronger motivation to find us a place we can finally call home!

And this was a follow on thank you note OTS and the Landlord received from Francesca: Thank you both for seeing this through with me! I more than appreciate the time you both have set aside to make this happen, and an extra BIG “Thank You” to you OTS for being such an amazing organization. Im super excited to settle in and start “nesting!” 😉 Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Best, Francesca

Francesca, from all of us at OTS we wish you and your daughter the best in you new home.

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Francesca and her daughter bring the total number of people OTS has helped get into permanent housing to 214.

Today we are happy to congratulate Reginald for ending his homeless situation and getting into an apartment of his own. We’ve been working with Reginald for the last 2 months and his great attitude and sense of personal responsibility have made him a pleasure to work with. Read his story below:

To OTS, my name is Reginald Barber a homeless veteran and also a college student in need of assistance with a place to stay. I recently lost my job that provided housing. I was very fortunate to get another job right away but it left me without stable housing for the last few months I’ve been sleeping in my car in from time to time on a friend’s couch. All the while trying to keep my appearance up for it as well as my grades for school. I know that given the chance I can maintain, it’s just hard getting started. Would you please consider helping me to establish permanent housing. Thank you Reginald

Reginald, from all of us at OTS – we wish you the best in your new home and your continued education!

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Reginald is the 212th individual we’ve helped escape homelessness by helping them get into permanent housing.

Congratulations Ana for allowing us to help you get into your own rental today. Ana and her son were couch hopping in a crowded home, without a place of their own, due to a relationship she had to end, combined with a tough financial situation that resulted from her being laid off. Read her story below:

Dear OTS, We have been with here for about a month and aside from contributing to groceries I don’t have to spend extra money. This is allowing me to save a little money to put aside for when we find an apartment of our own. Living on our own is going to be a real test and I know won’t be easy all the time but it will give my son stability that is needed in childhood. It will also give us peace to truly enjoy each other and built a brighter future. I hope that our story touches your heart and allows us to receive the help we need to find our home. Thank you, Ana

Ana, from all of us at OTS, we wish you and your son the very best.

*****

OTS has helped a total of 211 individuals escape homelessness since our start up just under 2 years ago.

Congratulations Earleen! OTS wishes you and your 3 children the very best in your new home. Earleen and her kids have been living in motels and are now in a place of their own after we helped them with their security deposit. Read Earleen’s story below:

Dear OTS, I originally became homeless back in 2010 due to domestic violence. I was living on (skid row) union rescue mission downtown Los Angeles. At which time I was pregnant and had 2 children with me. I was placed on a few low income housing waiting list. I then signed up for permanent housing (Section8) which also was a long wait list. I have been working for almost 2 years now. I met a friend who was renting out a room. I explained to her that I had three kids and was very interested in renting a room with her.I couldn’t afford an apartment with my income; everything was going good until My car broke down I started falling behind on rent I couldn’t catch up she asked me to leave. She said She decided to give her husband another chance and that he felt uncomfortable with me being around that I should start looking for another place to stay. I left I notified the school that I was homeless.The school started digging for resources they have me the OTS number. During this time I received my section 8 voucher got another job full time. I found a unit now here I am asking for assistance for a security deposit. Respectfully, Earleen

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This family brings the total number of individuals that OTS has helped escape homelessness to 209 since our start up just under 2 years ago.

Today we congratulate Charles for getting out of his homeless situation and after 5 years, finally getting a rental of his own. Here’s his story in his own words.

Hi my name is Charles, been renting a room in a motel for the last five years,just one pay check from being totally on the street. Not making enough money for an apartment, so went to the housing authorities to sign up for section 8, it took five years to finally to get approved…but didn’t have enough for the security deposit to get in to the apartment, so I call OTSHB for assistance for the deposit, after I qualify for help, they payed the security, and also see to it that I had furniture, what a blessing, and what s great program. thank you so much OTSHB. -Charles.

Congratulations Charles, you worked hard and we were happy to assist. From all of us at OTS!

Congratulations goes to Candice today for ending her homeless situation and we were glad to help her with her security deposit so she could get back into permanent housing. Candice was great to work with and so was her landlord. Here is Candice’s story in her own words:

Hi , my name is Candice. I’ve recently reached out to OTS because of my recent situation with being laid off work . I called 211 and was given this number for assistance because I am a 27yo female that’s homeless. I reached out because I felt it in my heart that this place (OTS) will help . I am a diabetic and prescription medication that I need can be really expensive at times so my income is very limited . Glad I was given news that OTS can help with security deposit . Definitely this is a blessing to ANYONE who is given the help from OTS. I have been paying storage bills as well so I’m currently down to my last and afraid I wouldn’t be able to have my security deposit to move into a home that I’ve found . I’ve been sleeping in my car and trying to find a shaded tree is harder then it may seem but just wanted to thank you for allowing me to experience this mission with OTS I will def recommend to any and every person I know that needs help as bad as I do .

Candice, from all of us at OTS – Congratulations!
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Candice is the 204th person we’ve helped escape homelessness since our startup just under 2 years ago. We believe our process strikes the right balance between Compassion and Personal Responsibility.

A huge congratulations goes to Heather and her 2 girls today for getting out of their homeless situation. Heather was a pleasure to work with, really needed a hand up, and followed our process to the letter. As a result we were able to help her get into an apartment by helping with the security deposit. Heather became homeless when her boyfriend left and she was evicted from the apartment they had been living in. She shared how stressful this has been in trying to hide these troubles from her daughters. She was finally approved for an apartment and is happy that it’s in the girls’ school district. She was also thrilled to find an apartment that she could afford based on the budget we built with her. She sends her gratitude with this note “Thank God there was hope finding a program out there that does something like this. Sincerely, Heather”

Heather, we wish you and your girls the very best in your new home, from all of us at OTS!

*****

Heather and her 2 girls bring the total number of individuals we’ve placed up to 203.

We are happy to share with you that we placed our 200th homeless individual into permanent housing yesterday. When we started OTS just under 2 years ago we didn’t know if it would work, but we ventured forth in faith believing we had a good process that balanced Compassion and Personal Responsibility. The success rate of our clients staying housed is over 95%, which is a testament to the amount of effort we put into each person we help to maximize their chances of long term success.

We THANK YOU for your support, your furniture donations, and your financial donations which allows us to do this life changing work.

Congratulations to Laura and Steve today for getting out of the motels they have been living in and into their own rental. They were able to find a rental that fit the budget we built with them so we were able to help with the security deposit. Here’s a letter that Laura wrote to us:

Dear OTS,
Steve has found a good paying job again and we are staying at a hotel, every penny we get goes to the hotel room, we just need a fresh start the both of us, we’re engaged to be married, we really need a hand up to get on our feet, get a home, get out of the unhealthy environment of the hotels, we are sober, good &.Christian God fearing people with not so easy past lives, we are in hopes of getting our home, getting married, and getting things cleared up in the courts thank you for hearing our plea and what you guys do is a true blessing, there needs to be more opportunities like yours for people who really need it and will benefit from the resources,
God bless, Sincerely, Laura & Steve

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Steve and Laura bring our total placements to 200 individuals since we started OTS just under 2 years ago.

A year of persistence pays off! Today we congratulate Kayla and her daughter for getting out of their homeless situation. She called us a year ago and struggled to find a place that fit the budget we built with her, but she persisted and today with our help with the security deposit, they were able to move into their own home today. Here’s their story in Kayla’s own words:

Hi, my name is Kayla and I’m a newly single mother of a beautiful 7 year old daughter. We moved here from Colorado as a family of three to take care of my grandmother, unfortunately, she passed as we came through Utah. After we crossed into California we got hit on the highway and all ended up needing physical therapy and chiropractic care. We have been in and out of hotels and camping ever since. The pressure cracked us as a couple and time took its course on our 11 year relationship. I currently work as a newborn photographer at the fountain valley hospital, work as a sub for ocean view school district on my days off, do Mary Kay on the side and now clean Ace Jui Jit Su gym on Sundays as well as do random weddings with a coordinator I know. I have started back in school part time this semester and only have 3 classes left to take for my associates degree and plan to transfer to Long Beach University. My daughter is excelling in 1st grade. She is reading at a second grade level, gets A’s on all her spelling tests and got a 100 on her state math test. She is also getting free training from the gym and is loving it! We have no problem working hard for what we want we simply experienced many hardships. I appreciate any help that can be offered and am confident that with it we will be successful! Thank you in advance for considering us!

Kayla – from all of us at OTS, CONGRATULATIONS and thank you for working so hard to improve your situation!!!

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Kayla and her daughter bring the total number of people that we’ve placed into permanent housing to 198.

We congratulate Dean today for ending his homeless situation by getting into his own rental. Dean has been homeless since January due to an unforeseen crisis at his last residence which forced him to leave. Since then he has been staying in a motel but his money ran out, so more recently he has been sleeping in his car at a local park or at the beach. Dean has a housing voucher which allows him to pay rent within the budget we built with him, but he still needed help with the security deposit, which is where we were able to assist. Dean told us that he treated his house hunting like it was a full time job, which is exactly the attitude and reason he was able to complete our process in a matter of days! He was so grateful for our help and he asked that we share that thanks with all of our donors. THANK YOU!

Dean, from all of us at OTS we wish you the best and thank you for your great attitude and work ethic in getting yourself off the street!
*****
Dean is the 196th individual that we have helped escape homelessness.

Congratulations go to Veronica and her 2 boys for ending their homeless situation today by getting into their own rental. We were able to help this single mom by building a budget with her to determine the rent she could afford and then assisting her with the security deposit. Here is Veronica’s story in her own words:

Good Afternoon,
As discussed over the phone, my living situation has been difficult these past few weeks as I try to stabilize myself in a new city, new job with children. Originally, I relocated from Illinois to California in order to achieve a career in real estate. I must admit it was difficult relocating thinking that I was hired for a property management position, only to find out the area was not suitable for my children. This caused me to search for areas that would be appropriate for my family. As I was a temporary contractor, work was unstable and several job offers fell through. I explored self employment during the times I was unable to find a full time job. However, balancing family life and self employment created too many issues with child care hindered my opportunities. Recently, I’ve accomplished a full time position which allows me to live on site as I work. It was quite challenging maintaining a steady work life while being homeless. Through networking within my field, I met my roommate (single mother), who has extended a hand allowing us to stay at residence temporarily. However, this is not consistent due to her busy work schedule. In which case, I seek shelter at Motel 6, close to my work. Now that I qualified for the apartment, I am requesting assistance with my deposit. Honestly, I am reluctant to ask for assistance but I realize we all need help at one point in time. It would be appreciated if your organization would consider us as applicants.
Best Regards,Veronica

Congratulations Veronica from all of us at OTS-HB!
*****
This family brings the total number of individuals we’ve helped escape homelessness to 195.

We congratulate Jena today for her personal victory of ending her homeless situation. We were able to help her by building a budget with her and then helping with her security deposit. We would love to provide Jena a dresser for her clothes and a small sofa/love seat, but we are in short supply of these items. Call us at 657-215-0853 or email us at info@otshb.com if you have these items to donate. Here’s Jena’s story in her own words:

Dear Off the Streets HB,
I am writing this to request assistance with the deposit of my new apartment. I’m female, 40 years old and I live alone. I was diagnosed with bi polar depression and schizo affective disorder in 1999. I have been fortunate enough to maintain a healthy and stable mental health status, through the use of medication, since 2004. For several years, however, I was homeless in Santa Ana and Anaheim. It was the darkest, most frustrating and hopeless years of my life. I was disconnected from society, confused by the simplest process and too exhausted to complete the smallest task. Once I found a medication treatment that worked, I was able to take the necessary steps to regain an independent and relatively “normal” life. I’m a participant in the Section 8 program and receive monthly disability benefits. To supplement my income, I am a part time caregiver which consists of household chores and running errands a few hours a week. This past December I was supposed to move but had a difficult time. I encountered some unexpected car repairs and the holidays posed a challenge to the timeliness of my apartment search. My mental health can be at risk during certain seasons, under high stress levels and during situations of crisis. Unfortunately, my mental health suffered and I was not successful in carrying out my move. I wound up storing my belongings and found shelter in my car. I was disappointed in myself. When I succeeded in escaping homelessness 12 years ago, I promised myself that I would never put myself in this position again. I worked hard at not jeopardizing my living conditions. I made good choices. I put in the effort. I took responsibility for my life so that I could remain off the streets. I had to realize and accept that my limitations are out of my control but they are still manageable. Making an excuse or finding a reason for me to give up was not an option. So I continued my apartment search. Three weeks later, I finally succeeded and obtained a unit to rent. Thankfully, I was able to regain a grasp on my longterm stability. I hope you agree that my circumstances and attitude make me a good candidate for your program. Your efforts would be greatly appreciated and play a significant role in helping me obtain stability for my life again. Thank you very much .
Sincerely, Jena

Jena, all of us at Off The Streets congratulate you on your personal victory and we wish you the best in your new rental!
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Jena, is the 192nd individual we’ve helped escape homelessness since our startup in June of 2014

We want to congratulate Milagros and her son today for getting over the last hurdle of being homeless and getting into permanent housing. We were able to help them by paying their security deposit to get into a rental. Here is their story in her own words:

Hi my name Milagros, I have raised five boys, with only one left to raise. We had to move out of a three bedroom and downgrade to a two bedroom due to housing policies. I currently have one son with me. I have been homeless for two months going on three, having challenges on coming up with required deposits for an apartment and therefore making it a hard for me with very little income. I have a twin son that is in a residential therapeutical program out of state due to mental conditions and substance abuse, therefore, leaving me with many challenges financially and not being able to maintain employment. Now that he is gone to a better place, I had to move leaving me with no options but to look for a two bedroom and now living in hotels and friends homes. My goal is to find a place and be stable and go back to work while currently enrolled in college. Currently I found a place that has accepted my housing voucher and came across your program, Off the Streets, and was blessed to know that this resource is the puzzle that is missing to obtain stability in my situation. I am a firm believer in God and walking by faith and not by what I see is my motto. I pray you consider my story and be a blessing to my family. Thank you and God bless.
Sincerely, Milagros

Milagros, we wish you and your son the very best in your new home. Sincerely, from all of us at OTS-HB!

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This family brings the total number of people we’ve helped escape homelessness to 191 since our startup in June of 2014

Today we congratulate Dana, her 3 daughters and her grand-daughter for getting out of their homeless situation and into their own rental. We were able to assist Dana by building a budget with her and by helping her with the security deposit. Here’s their story in Dana’s own words:

Good morning, My name is Dana. I am requesting assistance because I do believe that at one point in everyone’s life, they need help from someone or somewhere. This is my time that I need help. Due to having to leave my previous unhealthy and unsafe living conditions, I have been staying rent-free with family and friends, and in a hotel because I knew people were getting tired of us invading their space, which has caused me to run low on money. I will be hired permanent at my job and will be getting an increase that will allow me to take care of my girls and my granddaughter and I will not be in this situation again. I am able to pay the rent on the unit I am interested in and am willing to work the budget that OTS has put in place for me. I just need the initial help to get back on my feet and off the streets.
Thank you, Dana

Congratulations Dana and girls – we wish you the best. from all of us at OTS!

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Dana and her family bring the total number of people we’ve helped to 189.

We want to congratulate Joseph today for working hard to end his homeless situation. Behind the scenes at Off The Streets we sometimes have to deal with clients who get upset with us for not providing the specific kind of help they need or they want to debate us on our process or steps that we ask them to take. This was NOT the case with with Joseph. He was a pleasure to work with! He followed our process and took every action we asked of him. And because of his cooperation and willingness to work with us, we were able to help him get off the street and into his own rental within days of his initial call! Here’s his story in his own words:

“To whom it may concern:
For the past month or so I have been sleeping from friend to friend house, cars, motels and various other places. I was living with a friend that abruptly moved and I had to move immediately, and I was placed in a situation that I had no control over. I didn’t have any place to go and had to spend first night in a motel until I didn’t have any more money, then I had to sleep in a friend’s car for another night or two, I then could not use that anymore and started sleeping at friend’s house and other people homes. Things were starting to get very uncomfortable for me. Most of my friends and family have their own families and I didn’t want to impose on anyone anymore, so I started sleeping in cars and motels again. Still I went to work and in the meantime I stop at friend’s house to shower when it was necessary. I would really appreciate any assistance from the off the streets program.
Thank you for your consideration,
Joseph”

Congratulations Joseph. We wish you the VERY best in your new home and THANK YOU for working so cooperatively with us!

Today we congratulate June for ending her homeless situation and getting into a rental of her own. She had been homeless since last November and has been surviving by been sleeping in her car in a variety of locations in Orange County. Based on her limited monthly income she needed our assistance with the security deposit to get out of living in her car and into an affordable rental of her own. So after she called us, we built a detailed budget with her and with the help of her housing voucher she found a rental that matched this budget. We then helped her get into this unit by helping pay the security deposit. June, we wish you the very best in your new home!
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June is the 183rd individual we have helped escape homelessness.

We are so happy to report that Temeka and her 2 kids were able to move into their own rental today after being homeless for over the last month. Based on poor living conditions in her last rental that were affecting the health of her children, she was forced to leave and has been staying with friends and family, unable to afford both first month’s rent and the security deposit to get into another rental. Tameka called us and qualified based on her situation, we built a budget with her, and she was able to find a rental that fit this budget. She was a pleasure to work with and followed all of our advice. In addition, her new landlord was wonderful to work with as well.

Temeka and kids – CONGRATULATIONS!

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This family brings the total number of people that we have helped escape homelessness to 182 since we started a year and a half ago.

Today we congratulate Paula and James for ending their homeless situation, which they had been facing for the last month. We were able to help them take the last by helping them with their security deposit to get into their own place. Here’s their story in Paula’s own words:

“To Off the streets Huntington Beach California. On December 13th we lost our unit In Rancho Santa Marguerite and had to move. Loosing almost everything we had. For we had been living in this same unit . For 7 years. We searched and searched. For a place that would accept my housing. The section 8 program. Which make’s it very difficult to find a place. Went on section 8 . Com. Looked in the newspaper. Called real state offices. Drove around with friends who where able to drive me around. Due to us having no vehicle to get around in or own. Car-less in fact. And myself being disabled and sickly. Not to well. We ended up in motel 6 in Santa Ana California. So I could be near my girlfriend to help me with anything she could or and a hot meal which she did. So because of all this is the number one reason we are homeless and still are homeless. Living in hotel after hotel. With the thanks of family and friends helping us on long the way. Praise the lord for that and them. Thank you Jesus. For without there help we’d be out in the nights cold and wet weather. In which now we have exhausted our all family members and friends. And they have all done and helped us out with all they can do. God willing we won’t be homeless anymore. And we can come with the deposit $. With hopefully thanks to yours all help I pray. Or we have no more resources or no where to go.

Thank you so much . Love Paula and James”
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Paula and James bring the total number of individuals we’ve placed to 179

We are so happy to congratulate Germanni and her son today for ending their last few months of homelessness. During this time they have been staying in motels, couch hopping with friends, and even staying in her car at times (no place for a 3 year old boy!). Germanni is employed and based on the budget we built with her she had enough for the rent but not enough for the security deposit. So today, we helped pay her deposit which allowed them to move in. Here is their story in her own words: “Hello, My name is Germanni and I have a 3 year old son. I have been struggling financially for most of Ryan’s life, but always maintained a place to live. Last year my grandma passed away and not only was I her main caregiver, we were really close. Her hospitalization and subsequent death resulted in me missing a lot of time from work. When I finally got back into the swing of things, I was too behind and could not catch up. Since losing my apartment in December of 2014 (not an eviction) we have been staying with friends and renting a room. My landlord decided that she was going to move herself in August of this year, so that resulted in us being homeless again. I am capable of paying my monthly rent and bills, I am just struggling with obtaining enough money at one time for the security deposit and first month’s rent. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your consideration and time. Sincerely, Germanni”
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This single mom and her son bring the total number of people we’ve helped escape homelessness to a total of 177 since we started this nonprofit 16 months ago.

Today are happy to report that we were able to pay Jacquelyn’s security deposit, allowing her to get out of the homeless situation she’s been facing for the last 5 weeks. Jacquelyn was forced out of her last rental where she had been for 7 years when rent increased beyond her ability to pay. Since then she has been staying at a church and this same church told her to call us for help. Jacquelyn is disabled and while she receives a steady monthly income to cover rent, she didn’t have enough for the security deposit. We built a budget with her and she found a place within the price range we established. Jacquelyn was so thankful for our help. Thank you Off The Streets supporters for all your donations which allow us to do this work which gives those in need like Jacquelyn a new start in life.
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Jacquelyn is the 175th person that we’ve helped escape homelessness since we started 16 months ago.

OTS-HB Supporters, read how your support allowed Andrew and his 2 daughters to get out of their homeless situation and into their own place today. Due to your generous financial donations we were able to pay their security deposit, which is exactly the kind of help Andrew needed. Here’s their story in his own words:

“Good Afternoon,
My name is Andrew, I am a Single father of 2 beautiful little girls, and in the past year hard times fell upon me like never before. Not only did my job outsource my position to another country, I also lost everything. My whole lively hood as me and my kids knew it slowly dissolved and Before I knew it, My kids were living with my mother and I found myself sleeping from couch to couch. My hope devastated, my pride vaporized, I was dealing with anxiety on a day to day basis as if it was synonymous with life. Once i found knew employment, my road to reconstruction began. Once i found out about the off the streets program my first initial thought was ” I pray this program can help.” After speaking with Jennifer and the budget planner, I realized this program had a clear objective to help people like me in need. I can safely say things are finally on the up and up and the tunnels light is getting brighter by the day. I would like to thank everyone involved in this program and for helping reuniting me and my family with the comfort and security that is vital to the growth and development of my children.
Sincerely, Andrew”
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* Andrew and his 2 daughters bring our total placements to a total of 174.

Today we were able to help Elizabeth and her 2 sons get out of their homeless situation and into their own home. For the last 2 months they have been staying in motels and she was referred to us by Illumination Foundation. Elizabeth could afford her rent but not the security deposit, so we helped her by paying this today. Elizabeth works full time. Read her story below:
“Good afternoon, I moved here two months ago to work at a new job. My two children and I moved from Frisco TX to Orange County at the end of Aug and immediately started to search for housing. Its been a struggle being homeless and looking for affordable housing in a new city. My income is very low and getting settled with a home is more than what my income alone can handle. My family really needs your help because we are homeless and will remain that way without the help of Off The Streets Huntington Beach. My family and I appreciate your time and all your help in our time of need.
Thank you
Elizabeth”
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This family brings our total people placed to 171.

Today we were able to place Sade and her baby into a home of their own after being homeless for the past several weeks. Read her story below:

“My name is Sade I lost my job and then my home. I did my best to keep it but could no longer afford it. I struggled to try to still pay for rent, bills, and care for my new child. I was evicted from my home and lost everything. After months of trying I am once again employed and I’m hoping this program can help me get back to where I need to be and have a stayble home for me and my child. I would like to say thank you so much for blessing us with a new place. It really helped us a lot. I would be stuck in the same situation if it wasn’t for your help. Thank you once again. I am overwhelmed with joy and happiness. -Sade”

Sade, we wish you the very best in your new home. It was our pleasure to be able to help. Sincerely, OTS-HB.

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Sade’s placement brings the total number of people that we’ve helped get into permanent housing to 168.

Today we were able to help Lawren and her 3 kids get out of the hotel they were living in and into their own home today. Here is Lawren’s story in her own words:

“I was living in my apartment for two years while receiving section 8. My apartment stopped accepting section 8 and my move out date was July 1st. I found another place in Santa Ana using my section 8. I was there for a month, within that month I found toxic mold roaches and rats. Very unhealthy for my three children. My youngest daughter was born at 25 weeks so she’s on a apnea monitor and oxygen. I told my landlords and they wouldn’t do anything so I called the city. They started to retaliate against me. I got a 3 day notice. Me and my children have been in a motel since August 14th 2015. I recently found an apartment through section 8. Thank you so much for this opportunity me and my family are so excited. -Lawren”

Lawren, we were happy to pay your security deposit today so you and your 3 kids could get into a safe and secure home of your own. We wish you the very best. Off The Streets – HB.

Today we congratulate Lindon and his 2 kids for getting into their own home. Here’s is Lindon’s story in his own words:

“Hi my name is Lindon, and I’m homeless living in a car with my two kids. I’ve been homeless for two weeks. Currently working part time as a truck driver but will change to full time soon. The reason why I became homeless is because my rent was raised and my roommate moved out. So that’s when I decided to reach out for help and called 211, and a representative referred me to the “Off the streets Program”. I need the Off the streets program to help me because I do not have enough funds to pay or come up with my first and last months rent for security deposit on a new place to live. Since I have connected with the “Off the streets Program” they have assigned my with a financial adviser who have helped me get on a budget. Currently I have found a place to live with me and my two kids and I’m so thankful for the “Off the streets Program ” that helped me get my life back together.
Yours Sincerely,
Lindon”

We were happy to help Lindon and his 2 kids get into their own home again by helping him with his security deposit, which was all part of the budget plan we created with him.

Lindon and kids, OTS wishes you the very best in your new home.
*****
This family brings our total people that we’ve placed to 162.

Last year our end-of-year fundraising campaign focused on “Placing 100 Homeless in 2015.” Well, it’s the end of October and we have placed over 100 people already in 2015, hitting our goal 2 months early, which just shows how much need is out there.

The good news is that due to our low cost structure we’re still under our 2015 budget, which means we can continue to place people in need through the end of the year.

If you like the work that we do, and consider it an effective and heartfelt investment in improving our community like we do, please consider joining our campaign to raise enough money to place at least 120 homeless in 2016: http://offthestreetsnow.com/hb/house-120-in-2016/

We want to congratulate Adam, Jana and their 4 kids for getting out of their homeless situation today and getting into a home of their own. Here’s their story in Jana’s own words:

“There were many circumstances that led to our homelessness in 2012. Being a family of 6, it is hard to find a place big enough to fit all of us that is affordable in Orange County. We had one child in 2006, then the next three from 2009-2011 That was when the hardships began. In 2009, my mother had died suddenly, and her grandma entered a nursing home.Through that spiral, it was hard for Jana to keep a job, as child care costs were greater than the money she would get from working. Adam worked, but one salary for a family of 6 just wasn’t enough. We lived with family, friends and even foreclosing homes just so we would have a place to stay at night, but nothing really was a permanent fix. In 2012, we entered the Orange County Rescue Mission. We were at the Orange County Rescue Mission for 15 months, but even that was only a temporary fix. Rules changed there, and to stay, it would have cost over $1000 a month for us, so we moved out to Adam’s moms house. From there, we applied to another homeless shelter, where we are currently, which is called the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter. We are currently in the second and final stage with the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter, and are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. About a year ago, we applied for the City of Anaheim Project Based Housing. This is permanent housing open to Anaheim residents or those that work in Anaheim. In June, we completed all the paperwork to get housing through this program. I am currently working at Calvary Chapel Anaheim School, and through the grace of God, all the kids are able to attend the school for free to staff members. Now, the last step we need to become self sufficient is to move into permanent housing and out of the homeless shelter we are in now. With the help that Off the Streets Huntington Beach would prayerfully provide, we will be able to get into a house of our own and get off the streets. Our biggest expense would be the deposit and furniture we would need to be able furnish our house; something we would not be able to do on our own. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for helping our family find peace in a place we can call home. Our children have never had that and to see the looks on their face will be worth it in the end.”

We were able to help Adam and Jana over this final hurdle today by paying their security deposit, which allowed them to move into their new place.

Adam and Jana, we wish you the very best in your new home and were happy to help you get a new start after such a long journey. Sincerely, OTS-HB

*****
This family brings out total number of people we’ve helped get into permanent housing to 159.

Today we congratulate Theresa, her daughter and her sister for getting out of their homeless situation and back into permanent housing. Here’s their story in Theresa’s own words:

“My disabled sister, my daughter and I had lived in the same apartment for 11 years. In May of 2015 when I asked about a new lease we were informed that the apartments were no longer accepting Section 8 housing. So the process began for us to find a new place to live, while looking for a new apartment my sister found out that she had to have a total hysterectomy on May 20, 2015. After getting the surgery done the hunt for a place to live was not easy and to top off the fact that every apartment complex I called and most of the landlords that I spoke to were no longer accepting Section 8. After putting in applications for the few apartments that we could find and being told on numerous occasions that we didn’t qualify for the apartments our hopes were fading. On August 9, 2015 we had to move out of our apartment and go to a hotel that we could not afford. After staying there for a few days we became homeless. A friend offered to have us stay with them for a few weeks and they helped us to find a place to stay.”

We were able to help Theresa and her family of 3 get into this new place by paying their security deposit so they could move in.

Theresa, congratulations. We wish you the very best. Sincerely, OTS-HB
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This family brings the total number of people we’ve helped escape homelessness to 153.

We want to congratulate Angela, Dolores, and Angela’s great-niece for getting out of their homeless situation and into permanent housing. We were happy to help them get a new start by paying their security deposit. Here’s their story in Angela’s own words:

“Hi my name is Angela and this is the journey of me and my family. My family is composed of my great niece on the maternal side, Dolores, her grandmother on the paternal side and myself Angela. We had a home and jobs and a car and lost it all. First lost the jobs, then came the home and lastly the car. Since then both my grand-niece and her grandmother have become disabled. In addition to this Delores has cancer and now also needs a knee replacement. For almost a year we have been staying in motels, the car when we had it, and with friends anywhere we could. It has been hard for us to land a permanent job or home. Therefore making it hard for us to save any money to afford a deposit on a apartment. But then we heard about your organization Off The Streets Huntington Beach that can help people like us get off the streets and into an apartment. In our case we ask for help with the deposit. We just recently received our Section 8 voucher with the City of Anaheim that we had be waiting for. After 6 years it finally arrived and we are so happy. We are actively looking for a place and with the help of your organization it will be much easier to get into an apartment. This will allow as to stay off the streets and motels and into an apartment. Letting us move forward in our lives and have a new beginning. We thank God for keeping us safe and putting Off The Streets Huntington Beach in our path. God Bless each and everyone of you who help make this possible.

Thank you,
Angela, Dolores, and great-niece”

Angela and family, all of us at Off The Streets congratulate you and wish you the very best in your new place!
*****
This family brings our total placements to 150

We are happy to report that we were able to help Isaac and his brother get into a place of their own today. Here’s their story in Isaac’s own words:

“To Off the Streets:
I am sending this letter as informed to do so by one of your representative that I spoke with over the phone today. My name is Isaac and my brother and I have for the past 10 weeks been displaced staying with friends. Our mother put us out because she is going through some health problems that are affecting her mind. She said it was too crowded at her place and that she could not take it anymore. She asked us to leave so we respected her request. I am working full time making $15.00 dollars an hour. My brother is 26 years old and is mentally disabled and his case is pending with the Social Security Office so in the meantime he collects general relief which is only $263.00 a month. We have been notified that we have been accepted to move in an income restricted complex in the city Lake Forest where we have been residents of this city for several years. The only thing is we have to be able to give them the security and 1st month rent. It will be a blessing if Off the Streets could help us with the some of the security amount so we do not have to live on the streets or we do not have to sleep on the couch and floor at friend’s places. I have a job and I am a responsible person. I hope that you will consider helping my brother and I. Our time is short so please let us know.
Sincerely, Isaac

Isaac we congratulate you and your brother for getting into your own place and we were happy to help you with your security deposit to get over this last hurdle. Sincerely, OTS-HB

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Isaac and his brother bring our total placements to 147 since our startup in June 2016.

Today, we want to congratulate Janie, her father and her sister-in-law for getting off the streets and into their own home. Please know that we built a budget with Janie and she proved to us that their combined monthly income would allow to pay their monthly rent so they can stay housed for the long term. We helped them over the final hurdle by paying their security deposit directly to the landlord, which allowed them to move in.

Here’s their story in Janie’s own words – its raw and uncut, but we share it to show you the realities of homelessness:

“Hi, this is Janie I am writing this letter to show the wonderful people who are really helping the homeless and people in need of help. I guess I will start with my story first I was in a program called whatever it takes for five years. I got shelter plus thanks to their help. I had it for about 2 years and my husband got out of prison and didn’t have any place to stay so went through a lot of channels but I got him on my shelter plus list. But we were productive members of society once again it sure felt good. we worked hard at given back his number to parole but we did it. anyways my dad had gotten out of prison from practically his whole life he did 25 years. he came out to no family to help him or wanted to help him and after being locked up that you usually get institutionalized. So I felt bad for him and let him stay with me he got SSI income so if I lost my housing it really didn’t care because he is my father and I tried to put him on the list and they denied him a 77 years old man in poor health. Besides I figured it out with all our income we would probably make it. Anyways one day the parole came and picked him back up stating that they had made a huge mistake that they let him out early. Six months early he was doing good and not giving any dirty test or anything to that matter. So what could I do but let them take him and I cried my eyes out for days I was awful lonely for a while because he kept me very busy. So, so sad. While he was in chino my husband died. I took him to the hospital 11 times, came out twice and they still couldn’t figure out what was wrong so the day the sent him back home. The next day he died in bed. Every since then its been hell. I managed to pay the rent somehow or another. That is when Marthia my sister in law came to me and asked me for help to let her stay there until she could find a place of her own. Her health is also bad so that’s when my dad got out we decided to live together and I would be there caregiver. So that’s what we did and they gave me a 60 day notice to move I have been so angry at the world if it wasn’t for God and my to companion dogs I wouldn’t be here anymore believe me I am diagnosed with and have schizophrenia,bipolar and manic depressant. So anyways this is our story. Marthia has pretty much been on the streets all of her life. So I am please asking you so please help all of us get of the streets the motels and eating out. My dad has to have special foods to eat because of his diabetes and I can’t take care of him right like this. We sleep on friends floors and sometime in the car and sometimes on the street.

PLEASE HELP US. thank you SO much for YOUR ASSISTANCE; Janie”

Janie, we were happy to help you get a new start in life by paying your security deposit to your new landlord. We wish you the very best. – Off The Streets – Huntington Beach

Today we want to congratulate “K” and her 2 boys for ending their homeless situation by getting into their own apartment. K was in a shelter where her time to transition out was coming up, we were able to help K get over the final hurdle by paying her security deposit so she could move into her own place. Here’s K’s story in her own words:

“Hello My name is K, I have two boys ages 5 and 12. About 2 years ago my children had watched their father violently attack me in our home, of course this wasn’t the first time however thank God it was the last. As a result of the violence a report had been made their was an investigation into the incident and CPS was called. In the state of California if your children witness you being abused and you stay in the relationship you have committed a crime. I was told that my kids were gong to be placed into a children’s shelter for what was called failure to protect. The children were not physically abused however in this journey of healing I’ve learned that the emotional toll of having witnessed me being choked, kicked, punched, and so many other forms of abuse it took a toll on them. I remember the times I would get beat up, I would silently plead with GOD to open a door so I could leave with my kids. I had no money because their father was the sole provider, all of my family lived out of state, all I had was my faith and my children. I had no idea that the door GOD had opened for me to leave was the one my kids walked out of. I say this because it literally took CPS taking my kids and me going into a domestic Violence shelter to see that this was the start of my families journey to heal and for me to see GOD was ALWAYS with me. I wont tell you their were times, hell their were days I cried in that shelter thinking why is this happening sometimes we can’t see the big picture we can’t see GOD truly working a magnificent miracle in our lives. It took me 2 years of counseling, consecutive weekly visits with my kids, empowerment courses, parenting classes, life skills classes, seeking safety, and drug testing to prove that I could have my kids reunite with me. Through God’s mercy, my hard work, and the help of our temporary shelter, I was able to get temporary custody of my kids. We are blessed to be re-­united again. On October 29, 2015 GOD willing the courts will award me permanent custody. We have come so far however our trek is not over. I have maintained employment for 6 months, and I have decided to enroll in school. I’m currently a 4.0 student at (unnamed) College majoring in human services. My boys are excellent students as well, and they both play basketball and soccer.

We have accomplished so much in a little time, and we’ve managed to do it all in a shelter, their is nothing in this life that I want more than to be able to provide a home for my kids and I to continue to Live, Love, and Be Happy. I have been given an opportunity to forever change the quality of our lives and possibly move into housing October 1, 2015 we desperately need help to get into the house, We have no furniture beds, table, t.v., sofa etc.
I do believe I have been tested so I can give my testimony to the next family in crisis that feels they can’t make it. I just ask that if you can find it in your heart to help my family continue to be prosperous and fulfill our purpose.

With All My Truth, Heart, and Faith K”

K, we wish you and your boys the very best in your new start in life and in your new home.
Sincerely,
Off The Streets – Huntington Beach
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This family brings the total number people we have helped escape homelessness to 142

Today we placed Jorge and Rosalia and their 4 daughters into their own home, ending 2 months of homelessness. They lost their rental back in July when the owner/landlord lost the home to the bank who didn’t advise them at any time. With no notice the sheriff showed up and they were evicted from their rental, and they literally found themselves on the streets with no home. They have been staying in motels with no stoves, which has made it hard on their 4 girls — and motels are very expensive, impacting their financial difficulties even more. Jorge has held a steady job throughout this time and he was able to find an affordable rental based on the budget we built with him, but he just needed help with the security deposit to get out of the situation they were in. So, today, we paid the deposit to their new rental so this family could move into a stable home of their own.

Jorge and Rosalia, we wish you and your daughters the very best in your new home!

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This family brings our total placements to 139 since our startup in June 2014

We want to congratulate Jenna, Walter, and their daughter for ending their homeless situation today by getting into their own place. We were able to help them over this last hurdle by paying their security deposit. Here’s their story in Jenna’s own words:

“My family and I were renting a room that we found on Craigslist. On January 16, 2015, we were jumped and robbed by the landlords. We called the police, who came out and agreed that, for the safety of our daughter, we should leave. They agreed to escort us at a later time to retrieve our belongings. This all occurred on a Friday,and they could not assist us to retrieve our things until that next Sunday. By that time, most everything was gone, including $3500 in specialty tools that my fiance required to work in the plumbing industry. It was more of a loss of livelihood than a loss of material things. From there, we stayed in motels for as long as we could. When we could not anymore, we sought the shelter of Mercy House. We stayed with Mercy House’s ‘Family Redirection Program’ where we excelled with case managers by following every step of the program. When presented an application for their Rapid Re-housing, we eagerly filled it out, but were discouraged to be told the funding was low and that we should begin to search for other agencies that had funding. During the search for assistance, we stayed with Mercy House’s program and we shared space with two other families. In this space, we could leave the bulk of our belongings (at this point, 2 trash bags with what was left from the robbery). One day, we came back to the shelter to find that one of the families that we shared this space with had left and taken our two trash bags with them. It was all gone, so we again sought other shelter. We researched and found Family Promise, where we have a place to take care of business throughout the day, a room of our own to sleep in at night, and a support system that helps us navigate through this journey. That brings me to you, Off the Streets, who will be the next blessing that helps my family get back to stability.

Thank you for all that you do,
Thank you, Thank you!
Love and Light,
Jenna and Walter (and their daughter)”

Today we helped Angelica and her son end their homeless situation by paying her security deposit so they could move into their own place. Here is her story in her own words:

“Hello my name is Angelica and I have an 18 month old son. I moved to California when I was 19 and left after 6 years to aid my dying mother in Texas. After her passing I lost my way and moved back to California this time I would fall victim to drug and homelessness. I have been homeless for going on 5 years at the moment I am staying with the illumination foundation and a not so pleasant motel but before I came to be with illumination I was with a pregnancy homeless shelter called Casa Teresa and before that I was in rehab. I decided to change the way I was living for the 3 1/2 years that I was homeless when I got pregnant I wanted a better life for my son. Everything that I get goes to paying for the motel that illumination has put me up in. I received Housing through mental health that has insured me on finding permanent housing. I am going through drug court and have been sober for 2 years. I would like to start the next phase of my life but I have ran into a snag with being able to pay for a deposit at the moment I have only enough to cover the motel up until the move in date because I have been looking for months and my money has run dry. I’m a college student and fear that I may go homeless again I don’t receive any help. Thank You, Angelica”

Angelica, we were happy to pay your security deposit today and wish you and your son the very best in your new home. Sincerely, Off The Streets – Huntington Beach.

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Angelica and her son bring the total number of people we’ve helped escape homelessness to 130.

Today we placed Catrina and her 5 kids into their own home. They have been homeless since late July due to complications with her assisted housing paperwork. Here is her story in her own words:

“I recently requested security deposit assistance from Off the Streets. I wanted to update you on our situation and to provide the documents that were requested from the organization. The children and I are very thankful that Off the Streets helped us in securing this home. As I stated before we were in a very difficult situation. I have paid the first month prorated rent to the landlord and the children have successfully registered for school and are now adjusting to their new home! In addition, I will complete the last credits of my Bachelor’s degree this winter and I am ecstatic for what the future holds for my family. The joy, elation and happiness that we feel would not be possible without our current landlord, family and most importantly Off the Streets. I thank you so much for helping us and I am motivated to assist others in the same way, because of what I experienced in this situation. Thank you again and I hope to hear from you soon.

Best Regards,
Catrina”

Catrina, we wish you and your kids the very best in your new home. – From all of us at Off The Streets.

*****

This family brings the total number of people we have helped escape homelessness to 128.

Congratulations to Kristina and her 2 kids for getting into their own apartment this past week. They have been homeless since June, staying with friends, not paying rent. She tried staying at the Motel 6 but couldn’t afford it anymore. Here’s their story in her own words:

“In March of this year, the company I worked for was down to just two employees, myself and the owner. I had already taken a cut in hours and unfortunately, my boss could no longer afford to pay me. After 5 years at a much loved job, I found myself unemployed. As I searched for new full time employment I became late on my April rent. The property management where I was living with my children since January 2014 would not accept any partial payments towards my monthly rent, plus late fees and by the time I saved up the total for April, May became due. I did find new employment in May and I tried speaking with my landlord/property manager with regards to my situation, but they were firm that rent was due on the 1st, period. In order to avoid an eviction being filed against me I agreed to move out in June I paid all back rent and was on time with my June rent. I look forward to setting up house and having our own space again.

Thank you, Kristina”

With her new job, Katrina had enough money for her monthly rent but not enough for the security deposit. This is where we were able to help her obtain a home again by paying her security deposit.

Kristina, we wish you and your kids the very best in your new place.

Sincerely, Off The Streets

******

This family brings the total number of people we’ve helped escape homelessness to 122.

Congratulations to Betty and Damascus for getting into their own apartment today after being homeless since May, literally living on the street in a tent just to survive. Here is their story in her own words;

“My name is Betty me and my husband Damascus became homeless May 2015. I lost my job in April 2015 due to my husbands injury from a car accident. He was left paralyzed on his right side which caused me to assist him more than necessary. I couldn’t afford to hire anyone to take care of him while I went to work. I was missing more days than usual at work and my manager was aware of the situation, but they terminated me. When I applied for unemployment they denied me so I had to appeal the determination, which took awhile and we had no income which caused us to get evicted. It was really hard to accept being homeless again. We was just homeless a few years ago and to return to the streets was a humbling experience. I struggled with the situation for awhile until I remembered my faith and acceptance of our current situation. We refused to allow this unfortunate situation to keep us in darkness. We have to look at our homeless and other situations that is happening in life as a positive thing. We found that by thinking this way gives us motivation to move on and consider this as a learning experience.
-Betty”

Today we were able to help them get into their own place by paying their security deposit.

Betty and Damascus – congratulations and we wish you the best in your new home.

Sincerely, Off The Streets

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Betty and Damascus bring the total number of people we have helped to 119.

After contacting us initially back in February, Jesse and his 2 kids are finally able to share a home of their own. Jesse was laid off last fall, lost his apartment and was forced to couch hop to stay off the streets. This resulted in him not only being without his own home but also caused him to live away from his 2 kids that he shares joint custody. Jesse got a new job, we built a budget with him, and he was able to find an apartment that fit this budget in the area where his kids attend school. We helped Jesse get over the hump and into his own place by paying the security deposit directly to the landlord.

Today we congratulate Lisa and her 3 kids for getting into their own apartment allowing them to leave the shelter they have been staying in. After her time expired at the shelter she called us for assistance so she could get into her own apartment. Lisa has a job and was able to find an affordable apartment that fit her budget. Today we paid Lisa’s security deposit which allowed her to get a new start with her family in a home of their own.

Lisa, we wish you and your 3 kids the very best!

Sincerely,
Off The Streets

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Lisa and her 3 kids bring the total number of individuals we’ve helped escape homelessness to 114

Today Jeff got into a home of his very own after being homeless for the past 5 months. Here’s a summarized version of his story:

“Dear OTS…thanks for your HELP…very much appreciated by this disabled Senior. My story is that I was evicted from my Senior living apartment in HB (which was my dream apartment) due to a series of unfortunate misunderstandings with the landlord, even though I always paid my rent on time and had great relationships with my neighbors. I simply wasn’t equipped to fight the reasons for my eviction. So for over 3 months I bounced from pillar to post sometimes staying in my car or settling for a cheap Motel…eating at McDonalds mostly and on Denny’s value menu at less than $4 a meal. I recently found a hostile in Santa Ana (16 miles more 1 way or 36 miles R/T to see my Multiple MDs) to stay in a semi private room…sharing a bathroom with up to 10 people…it was a disgusting experience!!!…one I can’t wait to get out of.

Thanks again OTS…I know you put more time into this project of getting me housed than you needed to…Have a great day!…Best, Jeff”

*****

Jeff is the 110th homeless individual we have helped get into permanent housing.

Congratulations Jessica, Charles and to their 2 children for getting into a place of their own today.

For the last several years they have been struggling financially and living with various relatives and most recently in motels just to keep a roof over their heads. They now both have jobs and today we were able to help them with the security deposit so they could get an apartment of their own, which is less expensive than the hotels they’ve been staying in.

Jessica and Charles, we wish you the very best in your new apartment and we will be delivering furniture to you very soon.

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Jessica, Charles, and their kids bring the total number of people we’ve placed to 109.

Today we congratulate Rosalind and her husband Hal for getting out of homelessness and moving into a place of their own. Here’s their story in Rosalind’s own words.

Hello my name is Rosalind and we have been living in a motel. We have been staying in different motels since 2012. I have been trying to get an apartment since 2013 but due to an eviction in 2012 I have not been approved. We have been living at this motel now for over a year now and its time to move on. My husband Hal had triple bypass surgery in 2014 and he is not healing well because of where we are living. We are capable of paying rent but we need a little help with the security deposit. Please if you can help my family we would greatly appreciate it.Thank you so much!

Today we were able to give Rosalind and Hal the help they needed by paying their security deposit to their landlord today. We wish them the very best in their new home.

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Rosalind and Hal bring the total number of homeless individuals we have helped to 105.

Today we celebrate Jennifer and her 3 sons’ personal victory at escaping homelessness and getting into a place of their very own.

Over the last year Jennifer has been living in shelters, working hard to improve her financial situation, and when she called us she had a job and was seeking a little help with a deposit so she could get a place of her own. She was also fortunate enough to win a lottery for affordable housing which easily fit the budget we built with her.

Jennifer’s story of motivation and proactiveness really struck us and not only was she a pleasure to with, her new landlord was just fantastic.

Jennifer, congratulations! Your hard work paid off. We wish you and your boys a wonderful future in your new home.

Sincerely,
Off The Streets – Huntington Beach

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Jennifer and her 3 boys bring our total number of people placed to 103 since we started our charity in June of 2014.

Today we placed Victor into permanent housing, ending his homeless situation, which he describes below in his own words.

My name is Victor. I’m 28 years old and a lifelong Orange County native. I would like to start off by saying that I truly appreciate Off The Streets simply because they are helping to bridge the gap between impossible and reality. Thank you! I found myself homeless after the place I was renting from was sold by the owner. After being given only 30 days to find housing I had little time to prepare or save. I have been living place to place for over a month. Thanks to a Facebook post, Off the streets is now helping me move into a comfortable new apartment to share! Thank God. Thank Off The Streets!!

Victor, congratulations and we wish you the best in your new home.

*****

Victor is the 99th person we’ve helped escape homelessness by getting him into permanent housing.

Today Tara and her 2 boys got off the streets and into permanent housing. Read her story below…

Tara became homeless when there was a mix up with the move in date for an apartment that she had put a deposit on, which she ended up losing (both the apartment and the deposit). In the mean time she bought some time from where she used to live while she searched for another place by paying for two to three days at a time just so she and her boys had a place to live. She then applied for a new apartment but the housing authority took a very long time approving her application. In the mean time she couldn’t afford to keep paying her old apartment rent by the days, so she got a storage unit and began to move out which was another expense that depleted her already limited funds. They were then forced to live in their car. A teacher from her boys school bought them a hotel room for a couple nights but then they were forced to live in their car again. Tara then called us, we built a budget with her, she found a rental that fit this budget, and we were able to pay the security deposit to her new landlord. Now this single Mom and her 2 boys are in a safe and secure place where they can get back on their feet.

Tara, we wish you and your 2 sons the very best in your new apartment.

Tara and her 2 boys bring the total number of people we’ve helped escape homelessness to 98.

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6/17/2015 Update – A thank you note from Tara:

Dear Off The Streets, Thank you, thank you, thank you I can not thank you enough. Im so appreciative and so grateful. God bless you! And keep me and my boys in your prayers. As I will do the same for you. Thank you so much Sincerely, Tara

Today we celebrate Brian getting off the streets and into permanent housing. Here’s his story in his own words…

Hello, my name is Brian I am an currently an unemployed restaurateur. Last April I was divorced from a fifteen year marriage and lost all of my material and non-material possessions. In need of temporary housing I quickly resorted to staying at hotels as a quick term solution. During the last year of change, many unfortunate things have happened including a loss of a job and custody of my children. I have been trying to overcome unemployability by having a more permanent residence but have not been able to overcome the issue of double the monthly payment (deposit and 1st months rent) while maintaining current temporary housing at the same time. Many life lessons where learned during my 15 years of marriage and raising a seventeen year old step daughter and 8 year old son and I don’t regret my marriage to my wonderful ex-wife. Yet, the struggle to end the strife of trying to rebuild after to regain independence and subsequently custody would be a dream come true!
I really appreciate your help in setting up this wonderful opportunity with me. I get the benefits of sleep, downtime, and enjoyment in the same place. And for more than just check in and out. I am ecstatic that it took me awhile to find the right components to vindicate my housing struggle.

I know now that it was suppose to be apart of my interpersonal growth, as I struggled to find the right fit. I appreciate you never giving up on me or the other persistent homeless, and enabling a safe haven for future days and the satisfaction of knowing where I will be today.

A Sincere, Thank You!
Brian

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Brian is the 95th homeless individual we’ve taken off the streets since our start up a year ago.

Today we placed Cassandra into her own place, ending several months of homelessness. She became homeless a few months ago when the living situation she was in turned bad and she chose to leave that before things got out of hand. She works full time but didn’t have any friends or family in the area, so she lived on the streets and in a motel located closer to her job. Unfortunately, as is the case with many homeless who live in motels, she was paying almost her entire check every week just to stay there, preventing her from saving any money to move into a more stable place. Cassandra called us several weeks ago, we built a budget with her, she found an affordable rented room that fit her budget, and we paid the security deposit which allowed her to move in today.
Cassandra, from all of us at Off The Streets, we congratulate you and wish you the very best in your new home.
Cassandra is the 94th person we’ve helped escape homelessness in less than a year after we started operations.

Meet Barbara, the 93rd person we’ve helped get into permanent housing, and her service dog Sparky. Barbara had a series of unfortunate events occur with her prior rentals including the closing of one and rent increases in another that she simply couldn’t afford. When she found herself truly homeless she gave us a call for help. With our rental deposit assistance and her housing voucher we were able to get her into her own rental again. And today Off the Streets was happy to deliver household items to Barbara who just got the keys to her new apartment! Furniture will be delivered in a couple of days. Thanks to everyone in the community for donating items that our clients need! You are making a big difference! We want to send a BIG Thank You to the wonderful donors of Off The Streets who have provided donations of furniture, housewares and funds so we could help our clients get a new start! We also want to thank our tireless founders, furniture pick-up crew, housewares coordination team and Smooth Sailings Moving Company, who all volunteer their time, vehicles, muscle and passion to Off The Streets – Huntington Beach! Helping people like Barbara get off the street and into a home of her own is what it’s all about.

We want to congratulate Debbie, who ended 9 months of homelessness today by getting off the street and into her own rental today. She is the 92nd person we have helped escape homelessness. For 4 of those months Debbie lived in her car, but when that became unbearable she was able to sleep on a friend’s couch.

A Staff member of Off The Streets went above and beyond and was able to help Debbie build a budget and pay her security deposit to get her off the streets today. In addition, Debbie has landed a steady job that will provide her the monthly income she needs to pay rent.
Lastly, our incredible Furniture team delivered the following items that many of you so generously donated: a Bed, a couch, a dresser, a coffee table, an end table, a box of tableware, and linens.

Debbie, we wish you the very best in your new home!

Note: We are honoring Debbie’s request that we not post her picture online.

Meet Frances, the 91st person we’ve taken off the streets and placed into permanent housing!

Frances was referred to us by the OC211 hotline when she called for help to got out of her homeless situation. She has been sleeping in her car and at relatives when she could, but her medical condition which requires her to use oxygen motivated her to get a place of her own. She just needed a little help with the security deposit, because she has enough monthly income to pay the rent that we budgeted with her. Frances has been looking forward to moving into her new rental and to live in safety, and today we are happy to report we were able to help her do that!

Frances we congratulate you on your new home and wish you the very best.

Asha and her daughter are happy to be in a home of their own. This brings the total people we’ve placed to 90.

Asha and her daughter became homeless 7 months ago after she lost her job. She and her daughter had to sleep on floor of relatives until she could get back on her feet. Asha recently got a new job at Sam’s Club which gave her the means to pay monthly rent, but she still needed help with the initial security deposit to get a place of her own. That’s when she contacted Off The Streets to help her get out of her homeless situation. This week we were able to pay Asha’s security deposit to her new landlord, which allowed her and her daughter to move into their own place.

Asha, we wish you and your daughter the very best in your new apartment.

From all of us at Off The Streets – Huntington Beach.

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Update on 6/4/15 – A Thank You Letter from Asha.

I’m Really Blessed to Have Came Across Such Angels As Yourself, Yes You Are God Servants, And Me And My Daughter Want To Say Thank You So Very Much, To Have Blessed Us With A Roof Over Our Heads, And To Have A Peace Of Mind.

Congratulations to Latesha and her 2 boys for getting into a home of their own. This brings the total number of people we’ve placed to 88.

We are happy to report that we paid the security deposit this week that allowed Latesha and her 2 boys to get off the street and into a home of their own. They had been homeless for over a month due to her parents losing their home. Her only option was for her and her boys to sleep in her car in parks. The heat during the day and the cold at night combined with them being cramped in her car caused them to get sick a lot. When they could they bathed at friends’ houses or even within the park when necessary. Latesha’s goal was to simply provide a better and safer place for her and her kids, and this week with our help she made that happen.

Congratulations on your new home Pati! Pati is the 85th person we’ve placed.

We are happy to report that we placed Pati into her own apartment today by paying the security deposit for her new place, ending 8 months of homelessness. Since becoming homeless she has been in and out of a shelter and on the the nights she couldn’t get into the shelter, she slept on the beach or in a parking lot. Until now, Pati’s only possession has been her back pack, so today we completely furnished her apartment with furniture, kitchen items, and linens – basically all the essentials to get her established in her new home. This was as only possible due to your generous donations.

Pati, we congratulate you and wish you the very best in your new home. It was our pleasure to help you with your new start in life!

Meet this Family of 5 that is no longer homeless and brings our total individuals placed to 84!

Tim and his family of 5 owned a home for about 10 years, but complications with both his wife’s health and his caused him to lose his job. This eventually forced them to have to leave their home and live with family members. Despite this, Tim finished his college degree, received the surgery he needed to gain his physical health back, and was able to work again. However, the family they were staying with had difficulties of their own and Tim and his family had to move out. Tim was able to rent a room for his family but the living conditions were terrible so they then moved into a hotel. Their savings became depleted and Tim felt hopeless and paralyzed about what to do next, but a friend told him about Off The Streets, so he gave us a call in April.

We are happy to report that in less than a month after Tim initially contacted us, he was able to find a rental that fit the budget we built with him and we paid the deposit to allow this family of 5 to get off the street and into a home of their own. Tim told us that after 4 years of uncertainty and because of the generosity of the donors who allowed Off The Streets to pay their deposit, this family now has hope and says Thank You!

Meet this single mom and her son who bring our total number of individuals placed to 79! Nancy received a termination of tenancy after 9 years of living at her previous place. For the last several weeks they have been without a home. Nancy has been sleeping on friends’ couches while her son has been staying with extended family, forcing them to be apart. Nancy called us earlier this week in dire need of assistance with the security deposit. We built a budget with her to determine how much rent she could afford with her monthly income, and Nancy was able to find a rental that fit within this budget. We are happy to report that we were able to pay that security deposit to Nancy’s new landlord today allowing them to move in, bringing this single Mom and her son back together. We wish Nancy and her son the very best!

Brianna, Deonte and their expected baby daughter are now off the streets and in a home of their own…Meet this new family who brings the total people we’ve placed to 77!

Brianna and Deonte have been homeless since this past December when a series of events caused their income to fall below a point where they could afford the place they were renting. Since then they have been couch hopping and most recently they have been sleeping in a park. What’s most amazing about this story is that when Brianna first called us, she was 7 and 1/2 months pregnant!

Today we paid their security deposit to the landlord for their new rental. When we called Brianna tonight to congratulate her, she informed us that the hospital is inducing labor tonight — what great timing for this family. They now will be able to leave the hospital with their new daughter and return to their own home.

Brianna and Deonte – we wish you and your new baby the very best in your new home!

Meet the Mother and daughter who bring our total individuals placed to 74! Suzy and her daughter became homeless this past January after her landlord increased her rent to an amount she could not afford with her housing voucher. For the last several months they have been homeless and living in a combination of motels, friend’s couches, and shelters. Both Suzy and her daughter suffer from medical problems, which added to their stress of being without their own home.

Today we are happy to report that we paid their security deposit to the landord, allowing Suzy and her daughter to get into their own apartment, out of homelessness, and into a stable place where they can both be healthier. There are 2 great points to this story. First, Suzy’s was tenacious in finding a new place and always kept us informed. She persevered after her first place fell through and found a rental that fit the budget we built with her. Second, Suzy’s landlord has been a real pleasure to work with and also kept us informed of their progress at every step. We are so happy he had the compassion to work with Suzy and allow us to help her out.

Today we placed our 72nd homeless individual into permanent housing. Several years ago Lynne was severely injured in a car accident and it took considerable time for her to recover just her basic functions, including learning how to walk and talk again. She lost her ability to work and became unemployed. For the last year she’s been living in her car. Less than a week ago, she called us, we built a budget with her, and determined she had enough disability income for her to afford a modest rental. As such, today we paid her security deposit directly to the landlord and Lynne no longer has to live in her car. We wish Lynne the very best in her new place!

This is Chad who is the 71st person we’ve helped get off the streets and into permanent housing. He was trying to make things work while living out of state but things just didn’t pan out the way he had planned. He suffers from medical issues and he felt that moving back to California would be better for his overall health. However, when he arrived in CA he did not have enough money for the total move in fees for an apartment and ended up homeless and on the streets for over four months. His health care social worker told him about Off The Streets – Huntington Beach and he gave us a call. Our financial counselor worked with Chad and put together a budget for him and determined he did have enough income to afford rent. This week we were able to help Chad get into permanent housing by paying a portion of his security deposit directly to his landlord. We wish Chad the best of luck back here in Southern California!

3 years of living in hotels comes to a happy ending for Charlotte’s family…

This family brings our total number of placements to 70 people! 3 years ago a little bit of bad luck and some bad advice got this family of 3 into an unwanted situation. They were notified that their apartment building they were renting from was being foreclosed. Unfortunately they were given some poor legal and financial advice that resulted in their eviction. They did not have enough money saved up to afford to move into another rental so they spent the last 3 years in a motel. Then about a month ago they found us through a local resource agency and gave us a call. Our financial counselor built a budget with them and determined a rent amount they could afford. This family found a rental in that price range and we were able to help them move in today by paying their security deposit directly to their landlord. We wish them them very best in their new home!

Sometimes people just need a little help to get out of a bad situation…

Meet Tina, the 67th person we’ve helped escape homelessness. We were able to place Tina into her own home today. Tina had some medical problems most of last year that prevented her from working and as a result she was unable to pay her rent and was evicted. She has been homeless since late last year living with different family members trying to save money for a new place, but even after she got a full time job still she needed a little help with the hurdle of the upfront security deposit and first month’s rent. She called us and our financial counselor put together a budget for her and determined a rent amount she could afford. Tina found a rental in that price range and we were able to help her move today in by paying a portion of her security deposit to her landlord. We wish Tina the best of luck in her new home!

Two agencies partner to get a family off the streets and into their own home…

Meet the family that brings our total people placed to 66! Several months ago Graciela, a single mom, came to us because she, her 2 children and her grandchild were homeless and needed help to get off the streets. When they had the money they would stay in hotels but otherwise they would sleep in their used van. We built a budget with them and by partnering with Mercy House, we were able to pay for part of their security deposit this week that allowed them to have a rental of their own. We wish Graciela and her family the very best in their new home!

Jamie and her daughter bring our total people placed to 62. After having medical issues and not being able to work for a month, Jamie fell behind on her rent and was evicted. As a result, she and her 3 year old daughter became homeless and had to sleep in their car most nights, and occasionally in a motel when she had the money. Determined to get out of her situation, Jamie started working 2 jobs. Knowing it was going to take a long time to be able to save enough money for the total move in fees for an apartment, she gave us a call to see if we would be able to help her with a security deposit. Our financial counselor put together a budget for her to determine a rent amount she could afford. Jamie worked hard and found a place that was well under the rent amount for her budget because she is motivated to save money and build up a cash cushion so she won’t become homeless again. As a result, we were able to pay her security deposit directly to her landlord allowing Jamie and her daughter to get off of the streets and into their own place. We wish them the very best in their new home.

8 months of homelessness for this single mom comes to a happy ending —

Meet Kimberly and her son that bring us to a total of 60 people placed so far. Eight months ago Kimberly, a single mom with an 8 year old son, had no savings when hard times came at work and she could not make her sales quota and lost her job. She was able to borrow money from a friend so they could stay in their apartment for another month but time and money ran out and Kimberly and her son were evicted. It was difficult finding friends who would let her and her son spend the night — and finding a cheap enough motel room that was decent and safe enough for a little boy proved to be very difficult. Kimberly searched for employment and cleaned houses to earn enough money for the essentials but the commutes were long and her son had no where to go during the summer days. After a long job search she recenlty landed a job that pays a salary that would allow her to live on her own. A local agency referred her to Off The Streets – Huntington Beach and our financial counselor put together a budget for her to determine a rent amount she could afford. Kimberly searched diligently and quickly found a room to rent in her budgeted price range and we paid the landlord her security deposit so Kimberly and her son could get off the streets. Kimberly, we are thrilled you are now in a safe home of your own that you and your son will enjoy together!

Homeless & forced to live in a U-haul Truck, but now no longer homeless —

Meet Kathleen who is the 58th person we’ve taken off the streets. Kathleen, who has a medical condition that requires in-home care, had been renting an apartment with the help of a housing voucher but the landlord decided to not accept assisted residents anymore so she was forced to move out. Kathleen did not have enough money for a security deposit and first month’s rent, so with no where to go Kathleen had to sleep in a rented U-Haul pickup truck at night because that was the cheapest option to stay out of the elements. She then saw us on the internet and gave us a call. Our financial counselor put together a budget for her and while it took Kathleen six weeks to find a place that she could afford, she never gave up and always kept us informed as to what was going on. Today we paid her security deposit to allow her to move into her new place. Her hard work paid off because she is now off the streets and in a new place where she can again receive her in-home care. We wish Kathleen the best in her new place!

Meet Herbert who is the 57th person we’ve helped escape homelessness. Herbert, a veteran, was in the process of relocating back home to CA from the Southeast, when he ended up homeless in the Armory in Fullerton. Herbert ended up homeless because he was unable to afford the security deposit and first month’s rent for a rental because of his limited retirement income. The Armory could not accommodate him very long because of his medical needs. After he was discharged from the Armory, an agency gave him a hotel voucher so he could get off the streets for a few nights, but that was just a temporary fix. A family member familiar with our charity helped him contact Off The Streets – Huntington Beach and our financial counselor determined he earned enough monthly income to afford a rented room. Herbert was able to find a rented room that fit his budget, and with our payment of the security deposit he is no longer homeless. We wish Herbert the very best in his new place!

Meet Cindi, the 56th person we’ve placed. Desperate to get out of an abusive situation but not having enough money to rent a room, Cindi lived on the streets. Even though she worked 2 minimum wage jobs, she did not have enough money to pay for rent and the security deposit. Most of her money was spent on the day she received her paycheck to pay for a hotel room to get off the street for awhile. But when her money ran out, she was back on the streets and this became her pattern. Then she came across our website and gave us a call. Our financial counselor worked on a budget for her and determined she did earn enough money to afford a rented room. Cindi found a room in her price range and we were able to help her move in by paying her landlord the security deposit. We were also able to furnish her room with a nice full-size bed with drawers and a bookshelf. We are happy to know that Cindi is now off the streets and in a room of her own!

Please meet Linda, our first placement of 2015 and the 55th person we’ve placed overall! Linda was a single mom and had raised 4 kids living in an apartment with the help of subsidized housing. This past fall her youngest child moved out and Housing regulations forced her to leave her 2 bedroom apartment because they would now only provide rental assistance for a one bedroom rental. After Linda moved out, she struggled for awhile because even though Housing would cover her rent for a one bedroom, she still had to find a place and come up with the security deposit which she could not afford.

For 2 months Linda lived in her car and parked near a park in the Buena Park area. This was very stressful for her as she witnessed people arguing, violent fights, and drug deals. But the last straw was when she witnessed a shooting over a stolen iphone. She knew she had to get out of this homeless situation somehow soon!

Linda searched and found an apartment that accepted Housing vouchers but still faced many barriers. The first barrier was that she could not afford the security deposit to move in. She called a local resource agency and was given the phone number to Off The Streets – HB. On January 14 she gave us a call. We explained our process to her which required her to email some items to us. She told us she didn’t have email which was Linda’s second barrier. We were amazed to learn that Linda overcame this barrier by going out the next day, January 15th, to a local resource center where she received help getting an email address, learned how to use it, and emailed OTS-HB all of the required items.

Linda was hoping to move into her place that same evening but she ran into one more barrier. The apartment complex had not received all of the paperwork from the Housing office which was going to delay her move in. So instead of just waiting for Housing to complete the process electronically, Linda went to the Housing office herself to get physical copies of the paperwork. And on the next day, January 16 (just 2 days after she called OTS-HB) she gave the papers to the management company. A few hours later we met Linda at her new place to pay her security deposit and we were able to see her receive the keys to her new place! We want to thank Linda for teaching us that hard work and persistence really does pay off! Congratulations Linda!

Perseverance pays off for David and Melody, the couple who bring our placements to a total of 54 people this year! Back in July of this year Melody was the very first caller I spoke with as a volunteer for Off The Streets – Huntington Beach. Her story confirmed that volunteering for OTS-HB was what I wanted to do. At the time of her call she and her husband David were homeless. Melody was sleeping in a women’s shelter while David slept in their van. Even though they had a voucher for subsidized housing and David had a job, they still felt hopeless because they couldn’t afford the security deposit required to move into a place. Melody heard about OTS-HB through a church in their area and she gave us a call. Our financial counselor worked with them to build a budget so they could live within their means. While it took them 4 months to find a place that fit this budget, their diligence has finally paid off. This past week we paid their security deposit directly to the landlord and they moved in. Not only are they no longer homeless, this couple no longer has to live apart! And they get to spend Christmas together in their new home!

This story demonstrates the power of our community when we all work together. A teacher at a local elementary school heard that a student of hers and her family were homeless and living in a local hotel. This teacher called Off The Streets – Huntington Beach to see if we could help them. We told her to have the parent call us and that we would be waiting for the call. The father, Joshua, called us and we started the verification process. Our financial counselor put together a budget so the dad knew how much rent he could afford. In addition, a staff member at the school stepped in to help him complete the small amount of paperwork that we require for verification purposes. 10 days after this teacher made the initial call to us, we are happy to say this family found a rental they can afford, we paid the security deposit to the landlord, and they are no longer homeless. How great is it that this family of 5 will be celebrating Christmas in their new home! This brings our total placements this year to 52 people.

Meet John and Nancy, the couple that brings our total placements this year to 47 people! They had been living in the desert when a medical condition and orders from the doctor forced them to the leave due to the extreme climate. They thought they had found a place to rent, but that turned out to be a scam and they lost their deposit. With no money or alternative, they resorted to sleeping in their van. Finally, after a month of living in their vehicle, they heard about Off The Streets – Huntington Beach and gave us a call. Our financial counselor determined how much rent they could afford and they quickly found a place to rent in that price range. The landlord was so willing to work with this couple and OTS-HB, that he gave them a discount on the rent! Within a week we were able to pay the landlord the security deposit so this couple will be able to enjoy the holiday season in their new home!

Nicole and her 2 daughters bring our total placements for this year to 45 people! Nicole had an apartment and was doing fine but the landlord no longer wanted to lease to tenants with subsidized housing and they were forced to move out. Nicole works at a retail store earning minimum wage, and with the help of her housing voucher she was able to afford rent but she couldn’t afford first month’s rent and the security deposit. So she and her daughters were forced to move into a motel but that quickly ate through what little savings she had. After being in a motel for over a month, on December 1st Beach Cities Interfaith Services (BCIS) referred Nicole to Off The Streets – Huntington Beach. She was a pleasure to work with! She quickly found an affordable rental that fit the budget we built with her and earlier today (only 5 days later) we were able to pay the security deposit so she and her daughters could move into a place they could call home again! While Nicole didn’t need any furnishings we were able to give her a Christmas tree – just in time for the holidays!!!

Mom and daughter reunited – making our total placements this year to 42 people!
Robin and her daughter were living with a roommate who became aggressive and verbally abusive to the point where Robin had to leave for safety reasons. Robin couldn’t afford a place on her own so she moved into amotel. She knew that wasn’t the best for her daughter so she arranged for her daughter to live with a friend temporarily. It was very difficult for Robin to be separated from her daughter and she desperately wanted to get a home of her own so they could be together. She found a better job and a room to rent but she still needed help with the security deposit. Robin worked with us for several weeks, and today Off The Streets – Huntington Beach was able to pay that security deposit so mom and daughter could be reunited and move into a place they can call home!

Meet the family of 4 that brings our total placements this year to 40 people. Michelle struggles with health problems but with subsidized housing she and her 3 kids were doing fine. Suddenly the landlord decided not to accept tenants who received this benefit and Michelle and kids were forced to leave. She was sure she could find another apartment that accepted subsidized housing but then she realized there was no way she could afford the security deposit and first month’s rent at the same time. She and her kids were now homeless, couch hopping and staying in motels. Two months went by and then someone told her about Off The Streets-Huntington Beach. Michelle contacted us and worked with us over a 6 week period. Finally, she found a place that fit the budget we built with her and we were able to pay her security deposit so Michelle and family could move into a new place!

Never lose hope is the lesson we learn from our 36th person placed, Robert! 4 years ago Robert was laid off from his job and things went downhill from there. He couldn’t afford his rent so he lost his apartment. He couldn’t afford his car payment so he lost his car. He lost everything he had and ended up on the streets. He slept wherever he could, in a bush, on a bench, and when he was lucky, in a friend’s car. After being on the waiting list for subsidized housing for 4 years, he received this benefit. However, subsidize housing only assists with rent, not the security deposit. Robert did not have enough money for that. So he contacted us and we were able to pay his landlord the amount it took to get Robert off the streets. Robert said the best thing about being in a home after 4 years is having his own shower!

A quote from Garrett, our 35th person placed, “Are you guys for real? No one is that nice.” Garrett had been sleeping in the allies of HB for 6 months after he had given up on life because his girlfriend he was living with broke up with him. The only belongings he had was a sleeping bag and his phone. He knew he had to use his phone to get some help. So he did an internet search on “how to survive in HB when you are homeless” and Off the Streets-HB came up. He was skeptical but called us anyway. When we explained to him that we would help him determine a rent amount he could afford and once he found that place in that price range, we would pay his security deposit directly to his landlord he asked us, “are you guys for real? No one is that nice!” That same day Garrett had his personalized budget and knew exactly how much rent he could afford. Several weeks went by and we didn’t hear back from Garrett. Then the weather started to get cooler and someone stole Garrett’s sleeping bag. Garrett got serious and found a room to rent under his target price range. He called to let us know and that same day we had the honor of meeting Garrett in person at his new place to pay his deposit. Garrett wanted to know when would he have to pay back the deposit money to us. We told him he didn’t have to pay it back, it was our gift to him and if he took care of his rental, he would get to keep the money and use it for his next place. “Tell me,” Garrett asked us “what benefit do you get from doing this? Are you really just doing this out of the kindness of your own heart?” He was in utter disbelief and thanked us profusely. Then we asked him what kind of furniture he needed? His response to this was, “Are you guys for real? Where is the hidden camera? You guys are going to give me FURNITURE TOO!” As we were wrapping things up with Garrett, we turned on the video camera and were able to capture just a glimpse of Garrett’s gratitude. He couldn’t hold back the tears.

Cheryl with one of her daughters. Not shown: her 2nd daughter and son.

A changed heart comes out of our 34th person placed! Cheryl was a homeless mom with 3 kids living in their car. Her one opportunity to get into an apartment was about to be denied by her prospective landlord but Cheryl told him that Off The Streets – HB was there to help her. The fact that we were willing to give her a chance changed his heart and he knew he had to give her a chance too (more on that story later). He agreed to approve her application so Cheryl and her 3 kids were finally able to move in to a place they could call home! We are so happy to know Cheryl was given this chance. Our mission is changing more than just the hearts of the homeless we are helping.

Meet the family that allowed OTS to make our 30th person placed this year. Kameisha and her 5 children had been living in a shelter for several weeks. Their time there ran out and even though Kameisha found a house she could afford to rent, the cost of the security deposit prevented her from moving in, so they have been living in a motel instead. For many homeless living in a hotel provides essential shelter, but it burns through their cash quickly, and isn’t sustainable long term. A social service agency referred Kameisha to Off The Streets – HB for assistance. OTS was able to help with the deposit and furniture so Kameisha and her 5 children could move into their new home! We congratulate this family for finally getting into a place they can now call home.

Meet the family that allowed us to make our 24th person placed this year. Julie, Philip, and their daughter were renting a room when their landlord unexpectedly needed the room back. Unable to find something comparable in price, they were forced to live in motels and their car. Julie contacted OTS and with the help of a budget provided by our financial counselor, she was able to find an apartment with a rent she could afford. Today OTS paid their security deposit so this family could move into their new home!

Today we placed Tammy and her 3 kids, making this family our 21st person placed. Tammy was suddenly widowed which made things difficult enough but on top of that she has epilepsy and had to miss a lot of work which resulted in being unable to pay her rent. Unable to pay rent, they had to leave their home and live in their car. For 3 weeks Tammy and the 3 kids slept in their car. On a few lucky nights they were able to sleep on the floor of a friend’s house. Through a referral service Tammy heard about Off The Streets-HB. She gave us a call, and immediately went to work looking for an apartment that fit her budget that we built for her. 8 days later we are happy to announce that with the help of OTS paying the security deposit, Tammy and her children are able to get off the streets and move into their new home!

We were just able to help Janice, her daughter Thalia, and Thalia’s 2 children get into their own home, making this family our 17th person placed. This family had been living in their car, struggling to make ends meet for the past several months. In fact, their first attempt to get placed with us fell through about a month ago, but they persevered and kept working with us and got placed. The day we paid their security deposit, we spoke to Janice and she expressed her gratitude by saying “I would cry right now but I don’t have any tears left! Thank you so much!”

Janice, Thalia and their 2 kids stopped by on Tuesday 9/30/14 to pickup some furniture. All the neighborhood kids joined in!

Please meet Phyllis, our 13th person placed!Sometimes you may see someone and not even know they are homeless, and that describes Phyllis perfectly! Phyllis is a beautiful woman, and until today she was also homeless. She had been living in a shelter for victims of domestic violence but her allotted time there ended. Knowing she couldn’t go back to her previous home, she called us. Within days Phyllis found a room to rent and we got her into it by paying her security deposit. OTS is so happy that Phyllis has a place to call home!

Phyllis also came by on 9/28/14 to pickup some furniture. See video below

Later that same day (Sunday 9/28/14) we delivered furniture to Phyllis’s new place

Aaron, our 12th person placed, had been homeless since Christmas of 2013 when he got laid off from his job. He was living in and out of motels when he could. Three weeks ago he finally found a job making $13/hour and that is when he called us. Through his financial review with our counselor it was determined that if he kept the cost of his rent low, he would be able to save money to build an emergency fund so that he would not have to worry about becoming homeless again. In just one week Aaron found a furnished room to rent and moved in last night!!! OTS is so happy to make him the 12th person we have helped get off the streets!

Tametrea and her daughter, the family that allowed us to make our 11th person placed, were renting a place but the ower had to sell it which put this mom and her daughter on the streets. Unable to afford the move-in fees for another place, she and her daughter lived in motel rooms for 1 month. Then she heard about OTS and we were able to help with her security deposit for an apartment. We are happy to announce that today Tametrea and her daughter are getting off the streets and moving into a place of their own. Thank you to all our donors for making this happen!!

Today we placed Shane into a rented room, allowing us to make him our 9th person placed. Shane first contacted us in early July when we first started up Off The Streets – Huntington Beach, and his tenacity in finding a place that fits his budget finally paid off. Shane has been homeless since being laid off in February 2014 and has been living outside with other homeless acquaintances and staying in hotels when he could afford it. Shane’s recurring disability income is more than adequate to pay his monthly rent and we are pleased to be able to help him with the security deposit to get over that initial hump. Shane, Off The Streets wishes you the very best in your new home.

9/13/14 Update: We just received an update on Shane, who we placed just over a month ago. Shane’s landlord called to let us know how well Shane is doing and how much they love having him as a resident. Both the landlord and Shane thanked us for our help. We wish Shane continued success. (Shane is on the left.)

Today we placed Damon, Nicole, and their 2 teenage boys into a rental, making this family our 8th person placed this year. Their family moved to the area about a month ago and when they couldn’t find a place to rent quickly they were forced to live in weekly hotels, a situation they did not like and did not feel safe. They moved here with a good cash cushion to make the transition but the hotel costs quickly burned through their savings. Damon was able to obtain a job quickly but they needed a helping hand to get over the hump of the rental deposit and Off The Streets was happy to assist. We wish Damon, Nicole, and their 2 boys the best as they establish themselves in the area.

9/24/14 Here’s an update on we received from Nicole, Daman, and their 2 teenage sons:
Thank you so much, Off the Streets!! Since we have moved into our home, our boys have started attending High School, and last week Nicole started a full time job. We could not be where we are without your help. We are forever thankful, and hope to be able to bless others, as we have been blessed.
Love in Christ,
Damon, Nicole

Today we placed David into a shared rented room, making him our 4th person placed. Homelessness would be a serious impediment to David’s path to recovery. David is now in a good place living with a good support group that he really needs on his road to recovery. David has a good job as a warehouse worker and will receive excellent monthly income once his paychecks start coming, and more than enough to pay his monthly rent. We wish David well on his continued path of self-improvement!

We were able to place Larry, our 3rd person placed, into an apartment today by paying his upfront security deposit. Until now, Larry has been staying at the Salvation Army Shelter. Larry has been living in temporary situations since December 2013, when a relationship ended and he had to move out. The issue was further compounded when he also lost a job. Since then, he has been living in temporary shelters, weekly motels (when he had the funds available), couch-hopping, and sometimes literally sleeping on the streets. With the help of Off The Streets and one of the Housing Authorities here in Orange County, he will now be able to move into his own studio apartment. Larry was was able to get enough SSI income to afford an apartment and just needed our financial help upfront to get over the initial costs to get placed.

He recently started attending a local church and is also in the process of enrolling in a local community college, where he would like to take Theater/Performing Arts classes. So things are moving in a very positive direction for him right now.

We wish Larry the best in his own place!

Update July 29, 2014 – Larry’s furniture delivery. See pictures below of Larry in his new place. Special thanks to Mona and Mark for providing Larry a new bed and other household items for his new apartment.

Today we placed Ryan, our 2nd person placed, into his own room by paying the upfront security deposit. We pray this housing will help Ryan get back on this feet after being homeless for just under a month. Until now Ryan had been couch hopping with friends that would accommodate.

We are happy to report that after our start up in early June, 2014 OTS-HB helped our first person off the streets on June 19, 2014. Kory was referred to us by a pastor from our church.

Kory had a job, 30 hours a week at a bit above minimum wage. He had been working there for 7 months, but had been struggling financially since he had lost a previous shared rental with several people. He had no car and no savings. He desperately wanted to avoid sleeping outside whenever possible and spent most of his weekly salary on motels, when he was not able to talk a friend or coworker into letting him stay on their couch or floor for the night. Kory was not eligible for any shelters in our area because he was sober, and not female, or a child.

We contacted him right away and set up a time to talk to him the next day. We went over his finances and determined what he could afford to pay for rent given his current circumstance. We talked about him asking for additional hours at his current job or trying to get a part-time grocery store job since he had had experience in this area before and it had a better long term potential. Kory was to contact us again when he had checked with work and found a room rental in his price range. He seemed encouraged to have a plan.

We didn’t hear back from Kory for about a week. He called when he was rather desperate for a place to stay for the night. We asked about the things he was to check out. His work would not be able to give him any more hours. He found a few rental possibilities and he was waiting to hear back from them. We set up a meeting for the next day at a McDonald’s near his work. Two of us met with him. He told us how he had spent several hours trying to sleep in a park, praying for a better solution. Finally an acquaintance of his called him (after urging from another friend to let Kory stay in his vehicle or on his couch for the night) and he was able to sleep inside the rest of the night. He called the places he had tried earlier to see if he could get into a room. No luck. The best possibility turned out to be a shared room in a sober living facility, not what Kory needed, and not what he was told originally. We had him look at craigslist while we were there and he called on several ads until he got one that was available to look at. We were silently praying for God to intercede and He led us to a room in a home about 8 miles up the street Kory works on. The family renting out the room showed him his room and the rest of the house he would have access to. It seemed like a great fit for all concerned. Kory was so relieved to have a place to call his own and to not have to worry about where he would lay his head each night.

He will be putting a portion of his pay check each week into a savings account so that there will be adequate funds for his rent and bus pass the next month and some extra to start building an emergency fund so that this does not happen to him again. He is very determined to stay housed and get more employment. His long term goal is to have his own apartment and car.

Kory was so grateful for the second chance. It was not just the monetary help, he said he could not believe that we were willing to spend so much time with him to help him. We told him that he was experiencing God’s love.

We talked to Kory later that evening when he contacted us to thank us again and tell us how he got his room set up. We could feel his satisfied smile through the phone line.

Our Mission

Off the Streets – Huntington Beach is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit charity (Tax ID 46-4900223) focused on housing the homeless in Orange County and Riverside County California. Since 2014 we have housed over 500 homeless individuals. We work with the 'Economically Homeless' who have monthly income (job, disability, public assistance, etc.) and just need a financial hand up to get a new start in life. After we determine that an applicant is eligible for our services we build a personalized budget with them to determine how much rent they can afford based on their income and all their expenses. Then, if they are able to find an appropriately priced rental that fits this budget, we pay the security deposit directly to the landlord to get the them placed. After they are in their new rental, we deliver the essential household goods and furniture they need to get a new start in life.

Contact Us

Phone and Text:
657-215-0853Important: If you are seeking our services click this Get Help button before calling.Get Help

Mailing Address::Important: This is not a physical office and no staff or services are available here. This address is for mail only.
Off The Streets - Huntington Beach
419 Main Street, Suite 49
Huntington Beach, CA 92648